


Lawterius Moments

by ErinPrimette



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Coffee Shops, F/M, Interspecies Romance, Sparring, Turian/Human Relationship(s), Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2018-12-21 17:40:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11949327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPrimette/pseuds/ErinPrimette
Summary: This is a compilation of Lawterius prompts. Come see how the Cerberus operative and the rogue Spectre would mingle.





	1. Sparring Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda and Saren are starting to cohabit, but they’ve been getting into some blunders. They resort to asking Garrus and Shepard for tips on building close bonds.

Miranda has only moved in a few days ago and already, things weren't turning out so well.

So far, Saren spent countless hours trying to figure how to renovate the apartment so Miranda would have her own room, and he had no such luck so far. When Miranda moved in she tried to help Saren as much as she could, together they managed to squeeze enough extra stuff into one room to empty another and make a suitable bedroom. As much as they could deal with figuring out living arrangements, getting along with one another is another issue.

There were some days when Saren would wait in such an irritated mood when Miranda spent several minutes in the shower. Those days happened with any roommates and/or couples. A human had hair, that took time to wash, more than Saren needed. They even bickered with one another on how to separate levo foods from dextro foods in both the pantry and the refrigerator, mainly to avoid the risk of allergic reaction from either of them. Miranda insisted that they should be split up 50/50, it should be obvious which ones were not for you to eat, labels exist. However Saren being a bit of a supremacist, said that he should have a majority, after all, he was a larger stronger male.

They haven't adjusted well by the time Commander Shepard informed them she and Garrus were stopping by to visit. Both Miranda and Saren treated them well when they visited, considering them both friends. Or at least Saren faked it.

Miranda and Saren held off any arguments long enough to prepare their apartment. A long while later, Shepard and Garrus stopped by the front door, so Miranda stepped over to greet them.

"Lawson," Shepard greeted.

Saren kept back while Miranda carried out the greeting, once everyone was inside, he started to cater to them, showing them to the living area and starting to talk.

"Now," Saren began, "I can assume your mission went well?"

"For what my driving skills or lack thereof made up for," Shepard replied, "we agreed the Mako isn't as reliable as the manufacturers claim it to be."

As Saren spoke with to Garrus and Shepard, Miranda stepped into the kitchen and gathered some drinks and snacks.

"Sometimes I think Makos break the laws of physics," Saren gave his input, "those things go everywhere except where you want them to."

Garrus chuckled, his mandibles flicking into a grin.

"Well, I guess we have something we can agree on," Garrus mused, "are you and Lawson getting along well?"

Saren couldn't help but shudder just as Miranda entered the living room and set down the snacks before she sat down.

"We're getting along fine…we've had…some problems with species differences," Saren interjected, "but, we're doing fine."

Shepard and Garrus exchanged glances before returning their focus onto Saren and Miranda.

"Sounds like you two are having some trouble," Shepard commented.

"You can tell?" Miranda paused.

Garrus leaned back and folded his arms behind his head.

"It took some trial and error to make our relationship work," Garrus nodded, "along with research on dealing with interspecies liaisons."

Both the Spectre and the human operative remained quiet.

"First off," Shepard suggested, "I learned turians relieve stress through sparring, and it alleviates any bitter feelings you might have on one another."

"When was the last time you've sparred with Vakarian, Shepard?" Saren asked.

"The last time?" Garrus quipped, "after we hunted down a few batarian gang members in Omega."

Miranda nodded, gaining an idea in her head.

"Well, I think we should start looking into that," Saren nodded and sat back in his seat.

"You have just enough grievances to warrant it," Miranda added.

Saren nodded and glanced at their friends.

"Well, I must thank you for both stopping by, must be out of the way."

Having finished their snacks and their drinks, Shepard and Garrus stood to their feet.

"And one more thing," Garrus advised, "try looking past your differences and look for something you two have in common. That also helps."

After Miranda escorted Shepard and Garrus out the door, she focused her eyes on Saren before they turned their eyes to the door to the small gym. The turian Spectre had the same thought in mind as he escorted her to the gym. Once inside, they took a while to slip on some sparring gear and place mats on the floor.

"Do you want to fight with weapons," Saren offered, "or hand to hand?"

Miranda stepped onto the mat, fierce eyes locking onto the turian Spectre.

"How about we leave out weapons and biotics," Miranda suggested, "so we can have a fair fight."

Saren raised his fists.

"Hand to hand then," he nodded.

Miranda copied his position and seconds later, Miranda threw the first punch. Not surprisingly, Saren blocked it with his arm and lifted his leg, preparing to kick at her legs. Miranda hopped out of the way and tried to kick Saren off balance, which he blocked with his stronger leg. He was about to throw a fist at her when she blocked it with her hand. Saren tried to use this to his advantage and grab her, but she pulled back and kicked at him again, which actually knocked him down. However, he grabbed at her wrist and pulled her down with him, leaving Miranda hovering on top of him. Saren gazed deep into her blue eyes.

"I think I'm okay with this," Saren smirked, his subvocals letting out soft purrs.

"Okay with sparring," Miranda gave him a confused stare, "or something else?"

Saren couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sparring, yes," Saren answered, "and you."

While Saren initially felt irritation at the fact Miranda was created to have a perfect genome compared to the rest of the humans, her persistence told him that perfection was something she despised. As for her, Saren didn't have such a good first impression with humans, but maybe her presence was pretty much changing such an impression. With Miranda giving a soft expression, she and Saren pressed their foreheads against one another.

"I suppose I was seriously stressed," Saren smiled at her, "that helped as much as it can."

Miranda nodded and slipped off of him before she helped Saren to his feet.

"So, do you have a preference on where we want to go out this evening?" Miranda asked.

"No," Saren shook his head as he brushed himself off, "I'm quite content whatever you're eager to do."

With having their disputes shaken off, Miranda and Saren arranged a seat at a restaurant fit for upperclass citizens. Once they attended, the rest of the night was enjoyable for both of them.


	2. Coffee Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saren and Miranda try to find a cafe that serves both of their favorite beverages and along the way, they take Shepard’s impending shore leave into consideration.

With Saren busy in his study, Miranda took this time to scrutinize each coffee bag on the shelf, reading the label to identify which bag held Saren's kava and which bag held her Colombian coffee beans. With such a sense of achievement, Miranda started off by making her own coffee using a French press. Once she finished, she poured her coffee into her mug before she examined the bag of kava, contemplating whether she should make some for Saren.

Saren was madly typing away at his monitor, barely having gotten out of his pajamas yet. His eyes were glued to the screen, vigorously working away. He had a serious priority with working on his report for the Council on his previous mission, and he was determined to finish it as soon as he can. Still, his body was still taking its time to gain momentum again and it was showing. He slightly jumped when he felt a hand on his back while another put a hot, porcelain cup on his desk. Snapping out of his thoughts, Saren turned his head towards Miranda while she held her mug in one hand.

"L-Lawson?!" Saren grumbled in irritation.

"Sending a sloppily written report will do you no good. You may as well take your time," she calmly hummed.

After giving her a blank stare for a moment, Saren took his mug into his hand and sipped his kava. He took a moment to feel the hot, bitter liquid pour down his throat.

"Thanks, I…I actually needed that."

Miranda's scowl soon changed to a smile.

"You're welcome," she replied.

He swung around in his chair to face her for a moment.

"So, what'd you have planned for today?" Saren asked.

Miranda took a moment to think over the question while she took a sip from her mug.

"Was thinking of going out for coffee," Miranda mumbled, "yesterday was a bit rough, and I thought of taking this morning a bit slow."

Saren let out an amused chuckle.

"And yet I see you with a cup of coffee in your hands," Saren pointed out.

"This is only my first cup. I'm only halfway through it," she acknowledged.

Saren let out an enthusiastic hum before he took another sip of his kava.

"How many cups do you go through before you can start your day?" Saren asked.

Miranda gave a playful scoff.

"Just two."

Once Saren finished his cup of kava, he finished his report in a matter of minutes and he reviewed it before he sent it to the Council.

"That's out of the way," Saren advised, "just wait for me to get dressed first, okay?"

Miranda nodded at Saren before she stepped out of his study. She quickly returned to their room to change out of her night gown and into a t-shirt and jeans. Once the former Cerberus operative finished, she took a few minutes to brush her hair. Stepping back out, she saw Saren emerge from the shower, steam still pouring out of the bathroom. He even had a towel wrapped around his hips while he dried his chest with another.

"You look nice," he complimented, "I'll be along shortly."

Saren stepped into their bedroom and closed the door behind him. She quickly checked over her omni-tool, quickly looking back over news reports and finances as she walked to the front door. Miranda swiped a pair of shoes from the rack and slipped them on. Saren followed quickly behind, worming his arms into his sleeves while still stumbling blindly towards the front hall. Once he reached the front door, he slipped on his boots and pushed the door open, allowing Miranda to step outside first. The Spectre pulled out his omni-tool and brought it closer to Miranda.

"Here, I've found a few places that would be interesting," Saren explained.

Miranda took a moment to read the names of nearby coffee shops on the map.

"I suppose we can check each one out," Miranda nodded.

The two went down to the apartment garage and entered Saren's hovercar to travel to the first shop. It was a small place owned surprisingly enough by a quarian. His suit was mostly a dark gray with black undertones and a chrome visor.

"Ah, welcome to my shop! Anything I can get you two right away?" he greeted.

"Do you have a menu available?" Miranda asked.

"Sure, one moment."

The quarian reached behind the counter and pulled two menus for the two of them. The two shortly afterwards found a table to sit down at. The Spectre and the former Cerberus operative took a moment to read through the menus in their hands. Her eyes strolled over the asari teas while Saren considered another cup of kava. Miranda did seem to do much better in the mornings with a second cup. He made his decision before beckoning the shop owner to come over and take their orders.

"So, have you decided what you'd like?" he asked.

"I had my eyes on the Athame Lotus tea," she answered.

The quarian nodded at Miranda while he jotted it down in his notepad.

"I'll take the borderworld kava," Saren added.

"Thank you," the quarian replied, "I'll be right out with your orders soon."

They took their time looking around the place. It had a rustic feel to it, with decoration and lighting that was built from cleaned and recycled scrap and parts. Other guests that were dining here could be seen sitting at tables scattered across the room with their beverages.

"A rather charming place, wouldn't you say?" Saren mused.

"You could say it's…decent," Miranda replied.

Saren raised a brow plate.

"Something wrong?"

Miranda shook her head.

"It's nothing," she blurted.

His eyes giving off a soft expression, Saren took Miranda's hand into his own.

"I get the last few days have been rough," Saren said, "I did put in a request for a temporary break in my report to the Council, so we've got a few days off."

Miranda gave Saren a soft smile.

"Maybe we can check out other coffee shops and after that," Miranda suggested, "we could surprise Commander Shepard and her squad with their favorite beverages."

"I like the sound of that. I heard she was coming into port tomorrow morning. Do you want to invite her along then?" Saren hummed with interest.

Miranda nodded in approval.

"They've been after Cerberus for over a month now. I think they'd be rather relieved."

Minutes later, the quarian shop owner returned with their beverage orders.

"Here you two go. An Athame Lotus tea and borderworlds kava as ordered," he informed them, handing the two glasses from a tray.

"Thank you," Saren replied.

Both Saren and Miranda plucked the beverages from the tray and started sipping from their glasses.

"Mmm, it never gets old. How's yours?" he asked after his first sip.

Miranda took a few seconds to savor the flavor of her tea. It had a taste like the autumn breeze back on Earth; a warm, dry, slightly bitter feel.

"Well," Miranda answered, "this cafe makes a good candidate."

"I agree. It's nice and big enough to fit her squad," Saren nodded.

With their beverages in their hands, Saren and Miranda continued to enjoy the atmosphere the cafe brought. Reaching the bottom of his cup, Saren got up and walked to the front counter, pulling out his omni-tool to pay for their drinks.

"So, Lawson," Saren asked, "are you now refreshed for the day?"

"Maybe we can check the menus of other cafes while we're at it," Miranda suggested, "I still have the search list."

She got up and joined his side as he led her out of the cafe and back to his hovercar. Once the hovercar lifted into the air, Saren directed it to its next destination. The next cafe was in a less seedy part of the station in one of the shopping districts. Still, both the Spectre and the former Cerberus operative stepped inside and examined the menu it had available. Miranda instantly recognized and explained at least half of the menu, having composed of Earth-sourced options. Once they finished reading the menu, Saren and Miranda continued forth through the street in search of another cafe. A couple of blocks down in the sector, there was another one with a primarily dextro focus. The turian Spectre took his time to read the cafe's menu.

"Not a whole lot of levo options," he hummed, letting out a series of tsks.

Miranda placed her hand on Saren's shoulder, softness in her expression.

"I'm sure we'll have better luck," Miranda reassured.

Returning to the hovercar, they traveled to the other side of the station to look at a few options in another ward. The next cafe they arrived at had some asari baristas preparing beverages behind the counter.

"Hello. Anything I can get you two?" the asari asked.

Freezing in their tracks, Miranda and Saren exchanged glances before they returned their focus to the asari barista.

"You don't mind if we have a look at your menu, do you?" Miranda requested.

"Whatever. Take your time," the barista dismissed.

Miranda and Saren located the menu and read it, browsing through the beverage options it had. Saren noticed a small section at the back of the menu dedicated to light liquors with minimal alcohol content. The turian Spectre recalled one particular squad member who would be happy to try one of the liquors.

"Perhaps this would be good for a late-night scenario," he started.

Having finished browsing the menu, Miranda and Saren continued with their little journey through the Citadel.

* * *

By the time the Normandy returned the next morning, Commander Shepard led her squad out onto the docks. Saren got up early and wasted no time pulling out his omni-tool to send Shepard a message. He sent her an invitation shortly after her return and wanted to check if she was still up for a drink at a cafe. Now that he and Miranda have confirmed a cafe for the occasion, they stepped out of their apartment and made their way through the wards towards their destination. They returned to the coffee shop run by the quarian and met the crew just outside.

"Commander! I hope you're still well," Saren greeted.

Shepard made a brief glance at the sign before she turned her gaze towards Saren.

"I'm guessing it's your favorite cafe, now?" Shepard asked, "both you and Miranda?"

"It's a nice place," Miranda shrugged, "it's just got a small, warm feeling to it."

Shepard gave both Saren and Miranda a soft smile before she led them and her crew inside.

"I hope what I've been providing has still been useful?" Miranda inquired, gesturing the group to a table.

Garrus sat down next to Shepard while Miranda and Saren sat across from both of them.

"Yeah," Garrus nodded, "it's nice to shoot those bastards."

Saren and Miranda hastily ordered what they had the last time while Shepard and the others took their time to explore the options. At the same time, Joker took a moment to browse through the pastry section. A few minutes later, as the owner approached them with Saren and Miranda's beverages, Garrus was the first to order. Shepard placed her order second, followed by Liara, Tali, Wrex, Zaeed, Jack, Kasumi, Samara, Grunt, Jacob, Ashley, James and Kaidan.

"I'd like to thank you two again for the invite. The Alliance and Council have been riding my ass on our case with Cerberus," Shepard reiterated with a sigh.

"Anytime, Shepard," Miranda nodded.

Once the rest of her squad and her crew placed their orders, they all waited until their beverages and delicacies arrived several minutes later.

"So," Shepard offered, "should we name this the Normandy's favorite cafe on the Citadel?"

Garrus couldn't help but chuckle, his mandibles flexing into a grin.

"I like that," he answered.

"I thought we already sold out to a bunch of places," Wrex interrupted.

Saren and Miranda couldn't help but chuckle at Wrex's remark.

"What?" Wrex blurted.

Kaidan gave a distinct roll of his eyes.

"I thought we were already over this, Wrex," Kaidan reminded.

"Come on," the krogan nudged, "'favorite shop on the Citadel'? Not ringing any bells?"

Joker took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, we did have an excuse for that. The Alliance has been rather stingy with what funds we get and the Council has been the same," he excused before shoving part of his pastry in his mouth.

"On the bright side," Liara pointed out, "Lawson and Arterius were fortunate they picked a cafe within our budget."

"You see, Shepard, this is why I recommend we go over the bodies after combat. Y'know, get a few extra credits," Wrex added.

With a few days to spare, Saren, Miranda, Shepard and her entire crew can savor this tranquil moment before leaping back into the fray again, starting with a place to get coffee.


	3. Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda heads over to the bar to take a break from her work with Cerberus. Coincidentally, she runs into Saren and their rivaling differences will have them clashing especially in the bedroom.

Miranda was just standing outside the bar when she got another annoying text message from the Illusive Man. Did he not get the memo? Regardless, Miranda sighed and turned on her omni-tool, typing a text message and sending it:

_{Sorry to be inconvenient, sir, but I need a break for tonight.}_

The Cerberus operative leaned her back against the wall and waited for a few minutes. When he didn't respond, she felt confident that the Illusive Man got the message, so she stepped into the bar and searched for a place to sit. She did find an empty stool, but Miranda didn't pay attention to a grouchy turian sitting nearby at the same counter. Now, while Miranda was lucky to have changed into something casual to avoid recognition from public eyes, the turian in question made a brief glance at her, stiffening when he recognized her for some reason.

Luckily, she recognized who he was in return. There had been many occasions where they had met along the way and there were plenty of scenarios where either of them or both walked away by the skin on their teeth. However, Miranda knew they weren't the only visitors at the bar, so she refrained from speaking to him to avoid any conflict, not wanting to make a scene. She knew she couldn't touch him. Fortunately, he couldn't touch her either. Miranda picked up the menu and read through the list of drinks they had available. She still kept an eye on the alcohol content and the nearby Spectre within her peripheral vision. She couldn't afford to let her guard down.

After a moment, Miranda found the least alcoholic drink and placed her order. Now she was really in a crunch, keeping a careful eye on the Spectre and what the bartender was putting into her drink. She wanted to head out to unwind, but only found herself in the world's quietest firefight. She felt lucky Saren remained focused on his own drink. By now, she figured she might have to move to a table, so when the bartender returned with her drink, Miranda took the glass into her hand and cautiously slid off the stool.

"You're getting tense, Lawson," Saren muttered.

Miranda snapped out of her thoughts and narrowed her eyes at the turian Spectre.

"Tell me more about it," Miranda beckoned.

"I find it hilariously coincidental that we both decided to come to the same bar. I also find it hilarious you made the decision to come out into public at all," Arterius explained.

Sighing, Miranda shook her head in disbelief.

"If it's any consolation," Miranda retorted, "I'm not in the mood for casualties."

"That funny business with the bioweapon I71A states otherwise about your organization," he hissed.

Miranda stiffened as she clenched her fist.

"That was the mistake of a rogue group."

Saren folded his arms and tilted his head sideways.

"Tell me more about this rogue group," Saren smirked, "I'd love to hear about it."

Miranda shook her head in disbelief before she turned her head towards the turian Spectre.

"All right," Miranda suggested, "since you have an attitude going on, I propose we spend one night without killing each other."

Miranda stepped over to the counter and sat back onto her stool.

"Simply someone who got a bit zealous, mind you," Saren replied.

"That's all?" Miranda exclaimed, "it seems to me that your _**rogue groups**_ are a popular scapegoat for when things go horribly wrong."

Both the turian Spectre and the Cerberus operative narrowed their eyebrows at one another in a moment of silence.

"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot," Saren cleared his throat, "we're meeting under the banner of temporary treaty, we may as well act like it."

Miranda rubbed her chin.

"All right, we have a deal," Miranda nodded.

"Perhaps you would feel better if we took this elsewhere?" the Spectre proposed.

Miranda silently nodded before she and Saren sipped their drinks. After they finished their drinks and paid the bill, Saren guided her back to his apartment nearby, keeping an eye on her as she followed. He noticed the Cerberus operative maintained a stoic expression. Maybe she didn't want him to see her as weak or something? Still, upon arrival, Saren and Miranda stepped inside and slipped off their shoes. When the turian Spectre placed his boots on the shoe rack, he attempted to locate Miranda with his eyes, only to feel a pair of hands grip his shoulders from behind.

"I've shut off all of my surveillance devices on the way in. Now, you ready to talk?"

Saren glanced over his shoulder and took notice of Miranda.

"I…didn't realize you were planning to interrogate me," Saren joked, "or do you have something else in mind?"

"Originally, I wanted to take this a bit slower or relaxed," she sighed.

Chuckling, Saren turned on his feet until he faced Miranda and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"I might have an idea of how to ease both of us if it means avoiding us both showing up on the news, having killed each other," he offered.

Saren ran his hand down Miranda's back, feeling the softness of her skin.

"If you're suggesting what I think you are, I'll have you know I've done my fair share of studying alien anatomy. Analyzing the ins and outs, if you will," she added.

The Spectre didn't seem too bothered.

"For designing weaponry or out of curiosity?"

Miranda reached for Saren's pants and undid his belt.

"Either option is plausible," Miranda replied.

She also ran a hand behind his neck and around his waist. Saren let out a soft moan, yet he reached his hands around Miranda and stroked her back, pulling her closer to him. He began to tug at her shirt, slowly yanking it off of her. Miranda responded by reaching her hand underneath the Spectre's tunic, brushing it along his waist. Reaching higher up, she lifted off the upper half, tossing it aside as she felt the hard plates underneath. Saren couldn't help but grin as she marveled at the intricate plating of his exposed carapace.

"Lawson," Saren purred, "have you ever used biotics for intimate purposes?"

"I haven't yet," Miranda admitted, "care to show me how?"

Smirking, Saren reached under her skirt and dug his hand underneath her panties, sliding them down her legs. Carefully, he guided her to the living room couch and lay her down. With the Cerberus operative sprawled underneath the Spectre, Saren brushed his talon along her folds, eliciting a small whimper out of her.

"I haven't tried humans yet, but that doesn't mean I should perform some research. It comes in handy for…interrogation," he growled, licking her neck.

Miranda perched her hand behind Saren's neck while he circled his talon over her clit. A transparent blue field formed over his body as his powers lit up. His talons produced a light vibration as his biotics began to buzz with energy. He pressed his talons against her folds, sending intense vibrations into her nerves and causing her to groan loudly as she ground her hips against his hand.

"Ooooh! That…that's good right there…" she gasped.

"Tell me, Lawson," Saren whispered in her ear, "what else makes you tick?"

Saren slowly slid one talon inside her. The energy that pulsed from him caused her to squirm. Her legs involuntarily kicked as she struggled to find purchase underneath him. Miranda managed to perch her legs over his hips and rest her feet on the back of his thighs. She emitted her own biotic field and sent intense vibrations along Saren's skin with her hands. He let out a pleasured growl in return.

"Yes, just like that. You do learn rather quickly."

Saren pushed a few hair strands aside while he thrust his talon in and out of her folds. Miranda brushed one hand along the back of his neck and massaged his waist with the other, trembling underneath the Spectre. He pushed his talons further to prompt more reactions from her. Miranda arched her back and gasped while she resisted the urge to clench her thighs against Saren's hand. She threw her head back as another wave of pleasure hit her, letting out an extended moan. She reached her hand towards Saren's crotch and felt his hardening cock slowly extending from its slit.

"I find it interesting how your length is concealed," Miranda whispered, reaching down to feel his plates.

Saren hissed as he felt her hands grasp his thick cock. He leaned forward and pulled Miranda into a deep kiss. She shifted her body position so that her folds were more level with his length. Taking the hint, Saren withdrew his talon and grasped her hip with one hand and her shoulder with the other.

"Tell me what you want," Saren beckoned.

"I want you to fill me," Miranda whispered.

Saren tilted his head to the side.

"Fill you with what?" Saren insisted.

"Your cock," Miranda begged, "push it in as far as you can."

Saren smirked before he nuzzled his face against the Cerberus operative's.

"And is this a dirty secret of yours that does not fit Cerberus's pro-human agenda," Saren affirmed, "that you crave turian cock?"

"Yes," she whispered, "please, don't taunt me."

Saren wasted no time as he pushed his way inside of her. She let out a blissful cry upon his entrance, and was barely given the opportunity to catch her breath when he started thrusting.

"So soft," Saren muttered between gasps, "so wet…"

She stuck onto him with her fluids from earlier, almost giving the sensation she was clamping down with each thrust. As the turian Spectre kept pounding into her, Miranda perched her hands over his shoulders and pulled him into her embrace. She murmured incoherently, sounding like somewhere between distraction and hesitance. Saren kept a firm grip on the Cerberus operative as he nipped at her ear. He continued to let out small growls with each push he made, keeping her hips with one hand and supporting himself with the other. The sensation of his length's ridges and spines brushing along her walls sent carnal thrills into her core and had her shuddering in his grip. Likewise, Saren could feel her core heating up as he rocked into her. Miranda's highest yelp escaped her as her walls closed in on his length. The turian Spectre groaned as he felt her orgasm which brought him closer to his peak. He carefully drew himself out, leaning forward to connect their lips.

"So, is this satisfactory," Saren purred, "or are you waiting for round two?"

"Of course I am," Miranda answered, catching her breath.

Once Miranda came down from her high, she sat up from the couch and turned her focus towards the kitchen island. She stepped out of the living room and made her way to the kitchen before she rested her stomach on the island, keeping her legs off the edge as she made her posterior visible to the turian Spectre. Saren stood from the couch and stepped into the kitchen before he bent over and massaged her shoulders with his talons.

He hastily reentered her and began anew, starting slowly. As she moaned in carnal bliss, Miranda arched her back and ground her hips to match with Saren's pace. She put a hand around his hip as she continued to thrust. With heat building up inside both of them, Saren leaned forward and licked Miranda's neck. She strained herself not to make any sudden moves lest she disrupt any sense of balance. Still, the turian Spectre wrapped his arms around her and massaged her breasts with his hands, still maintaining his rhythmic pace.

"Ahh…yes…" Miranda mumbled.

Among her gasps of pleasure were a few single syllable words, but nothing that could directly correlate to a coherent thought. Satisfied with her reaction, Saren activated his biotics once again and sent pleasurable vibrations into Miranda's sensitive nerves. She felt the room spin as his biotics shook her. With the building pressure bringing her closer to her second climax, she resisted the urge to clench her thighs. Lifting her hips up, Saren found a better angle, building his climax faster. He leaned his head closer and gripped her shoulder with his jaws. She let out a cry as she met another climax, wrapping a leg around his hip to keep him close. Saren still kept pounding into Miranda until he groaned in his orgasm, his length releasing his sperm inside of the Cerberus operative. Saren simply left himself in for a few moments longer while he still came down from his high.

Moments later, Saren withdrew from Miranda, taking note of blood trickling out of the bitemark he left behind while she gasped for air. Once she returned from her trance, she tilted her head and kneaded her sore shoulder, her fingers staining with her blood.

"Sorry about the mess," he apologized, "I do have medication if you need that treated."

Miranda pushed herself off the kitchen island.

"Thanks," Miranda replied, "but I rather ensure the Illusive Man doesn't know of our affair."

"Your suit _**does**_ cover your shoulder completely, right? Then he shouldn't," the Spectre reassured her.

Saren reached for a cabinet and pulled out a container of medi-gel, taking care to slather some of the gel on her bitemark.

"It's a shame we have to be on different sides of this conflict," Miranda sighed.

Saren purred while he nuzzled his face against hers.

"Perhaps the Illusive Man needs to be put in his place," he mused.

"Maybe," she acknowledged, "I admit that I still wish a secure place for humanity, but it seems more and more distant with every move he makes."

Softness in his eyes, Saren lifted Miranda into his arms. He stepped out of the kitchen and made his way into his bedroom, gently laying the Cerberus operative onto his bed before he climbed on and lay down next to her. He felt himself begin to drift away.

"So how does this change things between you and Cerberus?" Saren asked softly.

Miranda cupped Saren's mandible with her hand.

"Maybe I should look into it further," she offered.

The night passed on as they held each other in caring embrace. While both of them had subconscious reminders they would have to part the next morning, Miranda now considered questioning the Illusive Man further.


	4. Set Me Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortly after Commander Shepard subdued Saren, he had been sent to rehabilitation. During that time, Miranda volunteered to undo the damage Sovereign inflicted on him. Would this allow him to find redemption in her?

Part of him was fortunate that Nihlus survived his shot, and yet another part of him felt irritated that his protege told Shepard about his "predicament".

With Sovereign destroyed, the Council insisted that Saren seek treatment, but it didn't help that the visions from Sovereign still bothered him. At the moment, he had to remain in bed after medics gradually removed some of the implants. While he was resting, Saren read an article covering the attack on the Normandy, and that Commander Shepard had been recovered, only to be placed in a medically induced coma.

"I'll send you my condolences, Shepard," Saren muttered to himself.

With that, Saren shut off his omni-tool and nestled his head into the pillow. At the moment, he wanted to at least get some rest. Too bad the visions still remaining kept him from falling asleep. He made as much fruitless attempts to doze off until the silence broke when the door slid open and a woman he barely knew before stepped inside.

"Spectre Arterius?" she addressed.

Groaning, Saren slowly sat up from his bed.

"What brings you here?" Saren grumbled.

The woman clasped her hands in front of her.

"I'm Miranda Lawson," she greeted, "and I was assigned to oversee Commander Shepard's recovery."

Saren let out a scoff, shaking his head in disbelief.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Saren remarked.

"Your time with Sovereign has proven to be heavily taxing on your brain," Miranda explained, "while most who receive the level of exposure you do normally have their brain tissue damaged beyond repair, you're still in good enough condition to make a full recovery."

Saren didn't think he would hear such words, but it gave him a sense of relief, even if it wasn't as significant.

"How bad is it?" Saren asked.

"It'll take time. We don't know if we can develop proper tech to reverse the damage faster, but it will take another few months before you can be released," she answered, pulling out her omni-tool.

Saren tilted his head towards a nearby shelf, scanning it for something he could read to distract himself from the invasive thoughts in his head.

"I…can I at least read the news?" Saren requested.

She simply shook her head.

"Sorry, but until we're past the first couple of months of recovery, we can't take our chances with someone of your general skillset."

Saren narrowed his eyes at Miranda.

"Then do you have other suggestions?" Saren insisted.

"We've been giving you some meds over the last month," Miranda answered, "now, it's time to see whether they've had any effect in your recovery. We'll start by asking a few questions to discern what you've made of your time under Sovereign's influence."

"Fair enough," Saren sighed as he nodded.

He glared down at his restraints for a moment as she pulled a chair alongside his bed.

"You sent your last proper report three years ago. What did you write?" she immediately asked.

Saren closed his eyes, taking a few moments to recall that particular moment. The small voice told him to fabricate something else. He was still struggling to find the difference between what his mind knew and what it told him.

"Had finished up with a solo mission to investigate an abandoned ship," Saren started, "I found some files the Hegemony had on the vessel years prior."

"You were with someone else that day. A human. Who was it?" Miranda pointed out.

"Anderson. His name was…is…David Anderson."

Miranda nodded while she jotted down some notes.

"The ship, what was its designation? Who manufactured it?" Miranda continued.

Prothean…no, older. He struggled to tell the truth.

"It didn't have one. I just called it Sovereign. The files alluded to it and its power."

"And do you know its origins?" Miranda added, "no?"

Their name? Name? Name. He knew there was none besides what had been passed down to them by the ruins of the Protheans.

"Reapers, they call themselves," Saren brought up, "when I first boarded, it spoke to me. It guided me to its helm to talk with me. It was…strange."

Miranda gave Saren an intense stare.

"Reapers?" Miranda paused, "I remember Shepard's squad telling me the Council denied her claim of the Reapers."

"They're real," Saren objected, "I don't know what the Council is doing, but I know for fact that they are real and that they should've seen Sovereign hovering over the Citadel. They're still out there and they're still a genuine threat."

His subvocals audibly trembled as he uttered those last words. Concerned, Miranda placed her hand on Saren's forehead, causing him to hiss. He flinched for a moment, pulling his forehead away.

"What is the Council saying?" Saren demanded, "about the Reapers?"

Miranda sighed in disbelief.

"They've been treating the issue as an 'isolated case' and that you betrayed the Citadel to ally yourself with the Geth."

Saren shut his eyes and let out a long huff.

"Did they assume I was merely doing it for selfish reasons?" Saren rambled on.

"I don't know," Miranda admitted, "all _**I**_ was told was to ensure your recovery."

Saren rested his head into the pillow.

"So we just keep this up for the next month?" Saren replied, "and with Shepard out of the way, there's no telling what they'll do next. Are they at least holding the Geth back?"

"The Geth are no longer the problem here," Miranda corrected, "we should be more worried about the Collectors."

Saren attempted to intimidate Miranda by flaring his mandibles.

"How do _**you**_ know about the Collectors?" Saren sharply returned.

Miranda gave Saren an intense stare.

"Rumors…I just heard from a few friends regarding their most recent sightings in the Terminus Systems."

"Those are some pretty powerful friends if they could directly confirm the Collectors. Couldn't they come out about it? And why are the Collectors suddenly so important?" Saren asked.

"My 'friends' aren't particularly keen on being social. Anyways, a human colony just went missing with no sign of attack, no record of what happened, and no tissue samples to leave the blame on anyone's hands. However, the most we know is an increase in Collector activity on Omega Station both preceding and following the attack," she replied.

Now, while Saren has yet to improve his impression of humans, the thought of an entire colony disappearing without a trace spooked him.

"Anything else you can tell me about this colony?" Saren asked.

"All the infrastructure remains and there was no distress signal sent right before they disappeared," Miranda further explained, "currently, the Alliance is trying clean things up just so they can start repopulating the place, but I fear much worse will happen if it's just left to that. Slavers aren't this clean and the few surveillance devices on the colony were wiped clean."

Saren managed to stave off any impulsive urges long enough to think over what he heard from Miranda.

"No offense…human…but while entire colonies of…possibly dead humans is…how do you say it…? Music to my ears, the fact this is being ignored is nothing short of…troubling…"

"My boss told me that this is a big deal," Miranda insisted, "and we're trying to get Shepard back into fighting shape for this reason."

"So what are your friends then? Companions or coworkers?" he grumbled.

Miranda closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"It's a privately funded group," she reluctantly started.

"And this group in question is in charge of reviving Commander Shepard?" Saren gave off a snarky tone.

"They have provided some of the personnel, yes," Miranda nodded nervously.

Miranda was starting to worry profusely about her cover being blown. While she did believe in the advancement of humanity, she wasn't sure if Cerberus's goal would appeal to a grumpy rogue Spectre like Saren.

"So why are you still so quiet about who you work for?" he pressed.

Miranda snapped out of her thoughts and returned her focus to the former Spectre.

"Considering your current condition," Miranda said, "my superiors preferred to maintain some level of discretion concerning the organization as a whole."

While Saren wasn't satisfied with the answer, he still nodded in agreement.

"Right. Shall we continue?" Saren requested.

"Of course," Miranda continued, "seven months prior, you visited Eden Prime during an attack by the Geth and Sovereign. What do you remember?"

Saren closed his eyes and took a moment to recollect his memories of the incident at Eden Prime.

"I remember the chaos from my attack and watching Shepard kill Nihlus, though the more I think back, the more I see through the smoke and mirrors."

Miranda shook her head.

"She didn't kill Nihlus," Miranda disagreed, "you shot him behind his back, but he barely escaped death."

"Yes…I…I realize that now…" he stumbled.

Miranda gently took Saren's hand into her own, causing him to blush.

"I'm sure you didn't intend to kill him, right?" Miranda tried to reassure Saren, "Sovereign influenced you to try, didn't it?"

"I don't know. I don't remember."

He gave a sideways glance, once again looking at his socket where his Geth arm was. Saren may have felt relieved having his Reaper implants removed, but he had a sneaky suspicion his loss of an arm would be a huge disadvantage for him in the field.

"We'll be repeating some of these questions in the future. It's not the end of the line if your memories are still distorted," Miranda reminded.

"Thank you, Lawson," Saren replied, a sense of relief filling his mind.

"Now, the facility you had reserved on Noveria. Who did you send and what for?" she continued.

"Matriarch Benezia," Saren answered softly, "we were looking for the Conduit. I became fixated on it since my arrival on Sovereign. It didn't take long before I convinced her why. It…it told us to go to Pe…Peak 15, where they'd acquired… acquired…"

"Focus, Arterius," Miranda persuaded.

"…a …a Rachni Queen. Sovereign taught me what he knew about them. How they retain knowledge, pass it down," he stumbled.

Anxiety surged through Saren's nerves.

"She was to meld with it," Saren continued, "interrogate it until we had what we needed. Benezia sent out one last message before I had lost communications."

Miranda nodded in acknowledgement.

"The location of the Conduit?" Miranda added.

"Yes. It was on Ilos. Of course, I delayed the attack a bit longer. Needed the krogan soldiers."

Miranda jotted down a few more notes.

"It said relying on the Geth alone would be a fool's errand," Saren continued, "more numbers were needed."

"Thank you. I've got a few things to do. Get some rest for now. The doctors will be by in a few minutes," Miranda rose to her feet and quickly strode out of the room.

Saren felt a sense of tranquility as he relaxed into the bed he was restrained to, counting on himself to recover sooner.

* * *

A month had past of continuous testing, some sessions ending more violently than others when Saren decided to lash out verbally. However, he had finally managed to enter the stage where he could be wheel-chaired around and would be getting a new prosthetic arm two weeks from then. From there, he still kept up his effort to break free from the indoctrination effect Sovereign left behind, and Miranda's sub-sequential visits gave him that boost of hope. It felt liberating to not hear the fucker's voice in his head. It was almost enough to drown out the wrath he felt when he heard the inhabitants of yet another human colony had suddenly vanished in the same conditions as the first. Almost.

Two years later, Saren fully recovered well enough to be fit for duty. At the moment, he still waited at the Citadel since Miranda informed him she'll be checking on Shepard's progress. She'd finally woken up a few weeks prior and was currently undergoing physical rehab to compensate for the muscular degradation. Fortunately, Miranda's benefactors had provided medical implants to help her along her way. Although the older turian Spectre couldn't do much for Shepard at the moment, thoughts swam in his mind on the outcome of their reunion.

He walked into Huerta Hospital and made his way down the halls to the rehab center. Shepard was currently wearing a support rig while she continued her exercises. Not wanting to interrupt her progress, Saren shifted his attention towards Miranda.

"How's she doing so far?" he asked.

"She's off to a good start and her implants are helping. A couple more weeks and she should be able to head back out. Not sure if the Council will believe her enough to let her at the Reapers again," Miranda answered.

Saren folded his arms.

"Surely, almost a dozen missing colonies would warrant some form of investigation."

Miranda turned her gaze towards Saren.

"Are you willing to help stop the Collectors?" Miranda offered, "we're in the middle of locating the Commander's squad and Liara agreed to help locate Garrus."

"I will, but I need you to come straight with me for once," Saren demanded, "who do you work for?"

Miranda's face went blank in a moment of silence.

"If it means earning your trust, fine. You've heard of Cerberus?" Miranda replied.

"Humanity's group of xenophobic extremists, of course I have. Of course, saying it like that doesn't make them seem any more significant above all the other groups the races collectively have," Saren acknowledged.

Miranda took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"The Illusive Man said you would," Miranda explained, "I know it's a stretch, but he knows that ensuring every race's survival ensures humanity's survival as well. He's even provided the order and privately donated resources to have a new vessel built for her and everything."

Saren raised a suspicious brow plate.

"Fine," Saren warned Miranda, "but if Shepard has been set up with some means for you to control her, I will rip it out."

"You have a deal," Miranda nodded, extending her hand.

He let out a small grumble as he accepted the gesture with his cybernetic hand. From the memories of his time with Miranda, Saren suspected she might not know the Illusive Man's true objective, so he might as well take his time to show her Cerberus's dark secret nature.

"Still, I'd like to express my concern about Cerberus," Saren injected, "I know speciesism isn't uncommon, but I've been getting the feeling that Cerberus has more in mind than simply defending human interests."

"I'll…keep that in mind," Miranda confirmed.


	5. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda has gotten into a situation where she and her sister are in trouble with some foes. Can she trust Saren to come to her rescue?

_"No,"_ Miranda thought to herself, _"you are not taking her back!"_

Miranda kept her back pressed against the wall as she held a young Oriana in her arms, trying to avoid making a sound lest they get caught by the Cerberus soldiers in the area. She couldn't believe that idiot security guard informed her father of their whereabouts! Why couldn't he just leave them alone?!

All Miranda wanted was to find a permanent place to live without worrying about her father trying to get her or Oriana back into his clutches. It didn't help that Oriana whimpered softly in her older sister's embrace.

"Miri," Oriana whispered, "are they gone yet?"

Miranda took a quick peek before she shook her head. She watched from down the alleyway as the Cerberus soldiers continued to hound the streets like wolves. She had no intention of getting caught, so all Miranda had to do was wait until the coast was clear before she and Oriana could slip past any soldiers on patrol. She rushed out and bolted down the walkway, steering clear of the streetlights as she narrowly dodged the next patrol. While she sprinted and held her younger sister close, Miranda kept a vigilant eye to ensure no one was following them.

They continued their game of cat and mouse until they entered the front lobby of an apartment block.

"We'll bunk in the janitor's closet, wait this out till morning," Miranda told Oriana, "they'll probably have begun checking the next ward by then."

Miranda set Oriana onto the floor.

"What if they find us here?" Oriana peeped.

Miranda pulled out a pistol she managed to take from one of the officers.

"I've still got a few thermal clips left. I'll keep first watch."

"O-Ok," Oriana nodded.

With the lights off, Oriana kept to the back of the small room while Miranda sat at the front, keeping the door open a crack so she could peek outside. So far, no Cerberus soldiers could be seen outside, even if the older Lawson sister suspected that could change quickly. The world around her fell silent as she continued to watch. It would be simple. Wait till morning, blend in and sneak down to the docks, and smuggle themselves aboard a ship to Illium. She had a bug-out kit and safehouse set up on the Terminus world in this scenario so that she could have a brief safe spot to plan their next move from.

As the night progressed, Oriana gathered some nearby blankets to form a makeshift bed. A few residents passed in and out without noticing her watchful glare. Oriana nestled into her makeshift bed, but Miranda resisted the urge to fall asleep. An hour passed, but she refused to believe Cerberus had given up yet. Another resident began to walk through, but paused in the center of the room, hesitating. She quickly drew back, feeling like she may have been spotted. She drew her gun close as she heard the distinct sound of cautious footsteps approaching.

Miranda held her breath once the footsteps stopped near the door. A hand with only three talons pulled it slightly open, revealing a turian. She began to level the weapon with the turian, but he quickly snatched it out of her hands before he reached over to turn on the light.

"I hope I'm not…interrupting anything."

Miranda narrowed her eyes at the turian in front of her.

"You'd better not be working for Cerberus," she warned him.

"And _**why**_ would I work with those self-centered, dickless apes?" the turian retorted, offering a hand up.

Miranda gave the turian a blank stare in a moment of silence.

"We're…trying to avoid them," she clarified.

"I can see that. Their troops are crawling on the streets right now," Saren instructed, "follow me, my home is in this block. We can discuss further there in private."

Miranda took a moment to think over the turian's offer while she tilted her head towards Oriana. Once she nudged her younger sister awake, the turian took them up the block steps to the fourth floor where he led them to his apartment and hustled them inside. There, they settled onto the living room couch while the turian sat across from them.

"I'm Saren Arterius, and I'm a Spectre. Let's start from the top. Who are you and how did you get tied into Cerberus' affairs? Don't lie to me, or I can't help you," the turian started.

Miranda closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"I'm Miranda Lawson, and this is my younger sister Oriana," she explained, "we've been trying to get away from our father. He's a rather influential individual back on Earth and is incredibly controlling. Through his connections, I found Cerberus and I've been working for them for some time now, unbeknownst to my father. However, he recently found out and made the Illusive Man an exorbitant offer for the two of us. I was faster, and withdrew both of us before they could pen us in."

Saren sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

"So right now, your former employer is being payed to take you in?" he clarified.

"I don't want to risk going back to my father," Miranda nodded.

He hadn't been raised by a particularly wealthy family, but he had heard stories in the military academy about worst-case scenarios from the top of the Hierarchy.

"I'll get you whatever you need for now and you two can take my bed for the night. I'll be out here, keeping my eye on the door. I'm not sure what to make of this yet, but you're safer in doors until I can better remedy this."

Miranda let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Spectre," she acknowledged.

Miranda and Oriana stood from the couch and scanned their surroundings in search of a way to the bedroom. As they entered, Oriana let out a long yawn as she pulled off her dress.

"He doesn't seem that bad," Oriana commented, "besides, I'm glad we just have somewhere safe to stay."

Miranda changed out of her suit while her younger sister climbed onto the bed.

"While I'm still suspicious of our turian host, I'm just as grateful. Perhaps this night won't be as long," she agreed.

After Miranda finished changing into her pajamas, she climbed into the bed, nestling under the covers next to her sister.

Saren waited outside, still dressed on the couch. From his secret stash, he drew out of his most trusty shotguns and was in the process of cleaning it. If he's going to defend two ladies being hunted down by Cerberus, he might have to keep vigilant of any intruders. Grabbing a snack from the kitchen and placing it on the coffee table, he placed his arsenal by his side and sat down, waiting patiently. So far, no Cerberus soldiers showed up at the door…yet. He cautiously eyed the front door and the window leading out onto the patio out back.

Soon, Saren spotted a few Cerberus soldiers passing by the apartment building, but at the present time, they were merely bickering with one another. He remained under the cover of shadow as he watched them continue their patrol, barely able to hear their discussion from his level. It didn't take long for the Cerberus soldiers to turn their focus towards the apartment building. He narrowed his gaze, glaring at them. He decided to use a more unorthodox form of home defense. Heading back to his supply closet, he brought out a couple of laser trip-wire mines and placed them by the sliding glass door and front door. He couldn't hope to hold them off all night, and would be forced to make some noise at some point. With the traps set, Saren searched for a suitable spot to wait for Cerberus soldiers to fall into the trap. He watched as a small squad entered the building lobby, with a couple waiting outside, making a call. Walking behind the kitchen counter, he kept his thumb hovering over a silent alarm he kept in case of emergencies. One Cerberus soldier stopped by the front door to Saren's apartment.

Saren remained silent as he listened for additional footsteps outside. In the other hand, he readied his shotgun for the inevitable attack. When the Cerberus soldier attempted to open the front door, the tripwire mine exploded in his face. A couple more attempted to charge in before Saren shot a single burst into each of the invaders. Tapping the alarm, he rolled into a more defensive position as more shot back from the front door frame. The turian Spectre would peek from his cover to take out Cerberus soldiers with his shotgun. The building had otherwise very reinforced walls and frame. So long as they weren't planning on alternative routes through the walls, he should be fine. His prior prediction about the balcony was true, but still unexpected when a concussion missile forced him into another corner of the room. More men dropped in through the second entrance, scouting around the house while the men at the front door continued to keep him busy.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Saren grumbled under his breath.

He was unable to move from his current position now that the other Cerberus forces had him pinned down. From his bedroom, two soldiers began dragging away Oriana and Miranda. The latter was clearly more trained than the former, breaking the headlock around her, stealing her captor's gun, and executing her captor before turning her gun on the other attackers.

"Let her go!" Miranda shouted, gesturing to Oriana.

"Only one will do! Cover me!" the man with Oriana in his grasp as he dragged her to the window.

Furious, Miranda charged after the soldier, but once she reached the window, the soldier holding Oriana captive was out of her reach. Saren continued to finish off a few of the escaping soldiers as they exited the room. Miranda rushed outside to see a shuttle flying off as C-Sec dropships arrived.

"No," Miranda gasped softly.

Saren reentered and reloaded as he walked up alongside her.

"Lawson, are you all right?" Saren asked.

Miranda shook her head.

"I-I got to get her back…" she stuttered.

Sighing, Saren placed his hand on Miranda's shoulder.

"I can help you with that," Saren offered.

Miranda gave Saren a soft expression.

"I…uh, thank you, Arterius," she replied.

He handed her one of his weapons as he quickly suited up.

"I've noticed increased activity on the station on their part," Saren mentioned, "and I might have an idea as to where they're currently working from."

Miranda raised her eyebrows.

"That's…awfully chivalrous of you," she commented.

"How about you give me some intel regarding Cerberus in return? Given your employer probably isn't taking you back in any time soon," Saren proposed.

Miranda rubbed her chin while she took a moment to think over the offer Saren gave her. Considering the Illusive Man's recent betrayal, the turian Spectre did have a point.

"Fine, you have a deal," Miranda sighed, "so where did you think of looking?"

Saren tilted his head in the direction he last saw a Cerberus ship depart.

"I saw that exact shuttle from earlier today at a docking platform almost half an hour from here," Saren told Miranda, "it had the same scratches and markings."

"I see," Miranda replied, "lead the way, then."

The pair rushed down to the garage at the basement levels to his hovercar. The two hopped in and Saren ignited the engines before racing off. Miranda peered through the window, examining each hovercar they passed by.

"I've got a spare pistol in the glove compartment. Use that," Saren informed.

Upon cue, Miranda opened the glove compartment and pulled out the pistol. Rolling down the window, she aimed for the driver and started firing, shortly before the man in the passenger's seat returned fire. The former Cerberus operative ducked to avoid any rounds fired at her. Saren tried to keep the car as stable as he could while dodging fire himself. Just as they barely made a quick getaway, Saren reached the destination he had in mind.

Quickly turning off the engine, they both hopped out and hastily rushed to the hangar area Saren previously mentioned. Both Saren and Miranda snuck from cover to cover to avoid detection from Cerberus soldiers. Overhead, the shuttle from earlier landed not too far from their position, with a now unconscious Oriana being led out. As the soldiers carried the younger Lawson daughter into the corridor, Saren and Miranda cautiously tailed the soldiers in question. They approached a small freighter down the dock in the back. Saren pulled out a couple of EMP grenades.

"It doesn't matter if we kill most of them if they get her on that ship," he told Miranda, "I'm disabling those magnetic clamps."

Getting out from cover, Saren tossed the two grenades and began firing. With half of the magnetic clamps disabled, the ship was left hanging on two remaining magnets, weakening their grasp and sending the ship crashing below. Both the turian Spectre and the former Cerberus operative sprinted along the docks, charging after the downed ship. The few Cerberus soldiers who were outside at the time were still in the open, leaving them to be hastily gunned down by the two. Once they reached the downed ship, Miranda peered inside and activated her omni-blade, slicing a section of the ship open to reach Oriana. Lifting her up with biotics, Miranda carried her unconscious form while Saren provided her cover on the way back to the hovercar. However, the Illusive Man intercepted them along the way, stopping them in their tracks.

"Out of the way, you traitor!" Miranda snapped.

"Operative Lawson, I just wanted to apologize for your position on the short end of things," the graying man greeted.

Saren's eyes lit up as he recognized the figure.

"Jack Harper? You seem to be doing well for yourself."

The Illusive Man folded his arms.

"The same can be said for you, Arterius," he growled back.

"I had a goddamned contract, sir!" Miranda growled.

"And you have proven your worth," the Illusive Man asserted, "however, your ties to your father have proven a liability, and this is merely killing two birds with one stone."

Glaring at her former boss, Miranda aimed her pistol at his head.

"I still remember one of the first few things you told me when I joined. 'Think of the cost-benefit analysis'? Funny."

Moaning softly, Oriana slowly opened her eyes while Saren carried her in his arms.

"Now, you really didn't think I came out here unprepared, did you?" the Illusive Man chastised.

"Spirits!" Saren gasped, "don't tell me you…"

Saren yanked Miranda and Oriana to the side of the opening followed by the tracer of a sniper round passing clean through where Miranda stood not a second earlier. Miranda felt a chill sent down her spine before she glared at the Illusive Man once again. He gave a few other soldiers some orders before calmly walking off the scene himself. Once they secured Oriana's cover, Miranda and Saren sprung into action, firing at Cerberus soldiers surrounding them. Saren was wary of where the potential sniper still remained.

"My car isn't too much farther from here. I'll put up a barrier and we'll make a break for it. We'll stay at the Spectre Academy until it's safe again."

"Right," Miranda nodded.

Creating a blue bubble around them, they carried Oriana through the open, as thermal rounds grazed the surface of their protection as they returned the path they came. With the biotic field shielding them from ammunition, Miranda and Saren reached the hangar. They wasted no time as they quickly hopped into the hovercar and strapped Oriana to a seat in the back. They narrowly drove away as the Cerberus soldiers began to draw close, bullets creating cracks on the windshield.

A long while later, they reached the Spectre academy. Saren hastily parked inside and led Miranda out with Oriana in his arms to the nearby infirmary. With the younger Lawson under the care of the academy's medics, Saren and Miranda settled into a nearby room.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Miranda nodded with a sigh, "though, it seems my father still hasn't given up on finding us."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Saren agreed, "I might be able to provide some assistance in the matter, but I'm not sure how long it will last against someone with such immeasurable resources."

Miranda gazed softly into Saren's eyes in a moment of silence.

"I don't want to hide anymore. If this will end, I want to take him down, head on."

Giving Miranda a soft smile, Saren placed his hand on her shoulder.

"A man this reckless can't be allowed to hold this much power," Saren reassured, "how far you plan on taking this, I'll help you."

"Thank you, Saren," Miranda smiled, "I suppose there's no harm working with you."


	6. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saren and Miranda are trapped in freezing temperatures on a planet known for its cold climate and they had to take shelter until it was safe to continue forth. To survive, they resort to sharing their body heat, which stirs naughty thoughts from either of them.

Saren wished they had installed a weather app by now, and Miranda was thinking the same thing. That way, they would've been able to predict the sudden blizzard that struck the snowy forest at the base of a mountain. Still, they haven't completed their mission yet so they resorted to taking shelter for now. Settling in a cavern, Miranda and Saren checked their inventory. They still had plenty of thermal clips going forward and they wouldn't need too many rations to go off of. The main problem lay in cold protection, as the storm would last some time, and their suits alone would keep their body heat up for too long. Miranda made a quick glance at the cave entrance as the storm raged on outside.

"It doesn't seem that bad to you, does it?" she remarked.

"At least we've found a place to take cover in," Saren sighed.

Miranda nodded in agreement while she shivered slightly. Saren took notice of her reaction to the cold before thumbing the latches on his suit.

"Here, you're doing no good staying exposed," he said, taking his chestplate off and holding her against him.

Feeling a chill down her spine, Miranda tilted her head in Saren's direction.

"You want me do to the same?" Miranda proclaimed.

Saren nodded lightly. She unzipped her suit, before pressing her chest against his. He simply remained silent at the notion, but he admittedly liked the sensation of her soft padding against him. Saren took a moment to pull out an emergency blanket and wrap it around both of them. The cold seemed much more distant now with the two huddled against each other. Saren attempted to keep his eyes glued to the cave mouth, but would occasionally allow his gaze to hover down to Miranda. She nestled into the Spectre's embrace, relishing the turian's body heat. With her bare hand, she brushed up against his chest plating, feeling the coarse, sandy surface. Groaning softly, Saren ran a talon through Miranda's hair.

Thoughts began to circulate about how to pass the time, barely suppressed by his need to keep watch for when the weather would die down. Saren started off by nuzzling his face against Miranda's.

"You need anything else, Miranda?" he cautiously inquired.

Miranda stroked her thumb along his mandible in a moment of silence.

"Maybe we could…" she mumbled to herself.

Miranda didn't finish her sentence, but she leaned in to kiss him. Saren didn't respond until a few seconds after their mouths parted.

"Well, to be fair, I have been just as equally distracted as you were," he replied, stripping off his other parts of armor.

Miranda took the hint and slipped out of her undersuit. Remaining under the cover of the emergency blanket, Saren lay on his back with Miranda firmly on top of him. While she brushed her tongue along his neck, Saren ran his hand along her back. Unhooking her bra, he tossed it aside besides their suits. Miranda reached one hand behind Saren's neck and massaged the area underneath his fringe. He let out a long purr as her fingers worked their magic, feeling his plates shifting below. Saren traced his talon along her side and located her folds between her legs, eliciting a soft moan out of her.

He dug inside, feeling her walls as he watched her reaction. Miranda made no attempt to stifle her moans, but she resisted the urge to clamp her thighs onto Saren's hand as he kept undulating her walls. Similarly, she slid her hand down his hip, encouraging his body to react faster. As he kept thrusting his talon in and out of her folds, Saren pulled Miranda closer to his embrace before giving her a deep kiss. He retracted his talons and took a moment to observe the slick fluid that stuck to them. Using his tongue, he lapped the fluids off his talons. She pushed him back, laying on his front with him already in position in front of her slick entrance.

"Come on, big guy," Miranda beckoned, "what are you waiting for?"

"A sense of need," he whispered before shoving right in.

Miranda gasped as she trembled in Saren's embrace. His breathing was steady as he started thrusting. With heat pooling in her stomach, she ground her hips against his own. She let out small pleasured gasps as he continued. Miranda buried her face into his shoulder while he licked her neck. He kept one hand clasped tightly against her back and another on her hip to keep her stable. She intertwined her legs with his.

Locking herself onto him, she pressed him into reaching further into her. With a swift thrust, Saren reached her cervix. Miranda craned her head back as she let out a long moan. They both heard their breath quicken and they felt their pulse pick up the pace.

Saren's breaths turned into short growls in response to each jolt he received with every thrust. With carnal thrills bringing them closer to their peaks, Miranda pulled Saren into a passionate kiss. He subsequently released a carnivorous growl as he reached his peak. A split second later, Miranda cried out as she shuddered in her orgasm, her walls tightening around his cock.

Saren paused as he looked back at her.

"Still feeling cold?" he calmly asked.

"Not really," Miranda shook her head.

"Well, I hope you're not ready to stop yet, because I'm not," he chuckled.

"Oh, I see where this is going," Miranda mused between gasps.

He slowly started up again, but was noticeably getting faster. Miranda mewled in his embrace and she massaged the base of his neck with her hands. Holding her close, he continued to lick her neck, keeping his head level with each thrust. The sensation of Saren's ridges and spines brushing along her sensitive walls sent carnal bliss through her nerves. She let out a small peep every time he thrust himself in. Craving each sound she made, he quickly picked up his pace to force them out more frequently. She held one hand behind his neck while she brushed her other hand along his mandible.

Miranda pulled her head close against Saren's forehead, heavily panting against him. The turian Spectre gave his human partner a passionate kiss while he kept up his pace. As the carnal bliss built up in his chest, he finally let out a shaky wail. Miranda also keened as she reached her second orgasm and her walls clamped down on him. Similarly, Saren reached his own climax, causing him to tighten his grip on her. They both took their time to catch their breath as they came down from their high. Minutes later, Saren licked Miranda's cheek as he withdrew from her.

He lay down under the covers and lightly tugged on her, inviting her to join. Miranda took the hint and crept underneath the covers, snuggling closer to Saren. He looked around her and gazed outside as the storm still raged on.

"We might as well wait until the storm dissipates," the Spectre sighed.

"At least we won't freeze anytime soon," Miranda replied, smiling.

Using the body heat they generated and the warmth from the covers, Miranda and Saren relished in their embrace and kept one another warm. It wasn't much longer until the winds and heavy snow subsided. Putting their suits back on, they packed up and headed out as the sun returned from behind the heavy clouds. It was late afternoon by that point, but they still carried on with their mission.


	7. Cycle of Urges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saren has the misfortune to enter his mating season, so Miranda volunteers to sate him before it drives him insane.

No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he couldn't take his mind off the burning sensation inside of him.

Commander Shepard didn't object much when Saren requested a few days of shore leave, not explaining what he was dealing with so she wouldn't have to intervene. Isolating himself in his penthouse, Saren passed by the time via reading through his datapads in his office and sorting them. Unfortunately, this didn't help as his urge to find a mate grew more overwhelming to the point he thought he would be driven berserk. While taking a break from doing his paperwork, Saren checked his messages from his omni-tool. While he read them, he noticed each message suggested the people he knew were growing more and more suspicious of his odd behavior. It didn't take long for him to open Shepard's recent message:

_{Saren, the Council asked me to check on you. Are you sure you're doing ok?}_

Saren sighed with disbelief. How would he have to explain this to the Council? It seemed that coming up with an excuse probably wouldn't work. He was occupied with his dilemma that he didn't pay attention to Miranda stepping into his office, a concerned expression decorating her eyes. She cautiously approached him, but it didn't take long before Saren heard the footsteps and snapped his head towards his partner.

"Lawson, did I give you permission to step into my office?!" Saren snarled.

Despite Saren's attempt to intimidate Miranda with a furious glare, she didn't even flinch.

"Commander Shepard sent me to find you," Miranda explained, "you don't seem well."

Groaning in defeat, Saren planted his face on the desk for a moment before he stood from his office chair. Perhaps he just needed to get out today. He was feeling wound up and just needed to let it out, maybe go for a jog or to the firing range. He was about to head for the door, but when Miranda took his hand into her own, it stopped him in his tracks.

"Lawson, must you be persistent?!" Saren grumbled.

"Perhaps you could first explain your attitude?" she snapped back.

Miranda and Saren both exchanged intense stares in a moment of silence.

"It's…nothing…I'll be returning to work, as should you, Lawson," he returned, sitting back down at his desk.

Miranda sighed as she shook her head in disbelief.

"If you won't tell me what the problem is," Miranda insisted, "then I can't help you."

He let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"It's just hormones. There's still nothing you can do to help. You can leave now."

Miranda wanted to oblige, but then she noticed the bulge in Saren's pants.

"Hormones?" she asked, raising a brow.

Saren muttered swear words under his breath while he clenched his fists. He pulled open a drawer, looking at the contents inside.

"Now, I'd appreciate it if you left, so I may finish my work," he continued in a strained tone.

Miranda released her grip when Saren suddenly had intrusive thoughts invade his mind…ones involving seeing a naked Miranda sprawled underneath him on the bed. As she turned to the door, he cautiously drew the tube of lubricant, and a small packet of tissue paper. He would just quickly go to a pornography site, get a nut off, clean up, clear his extranet history, and meet up with Shepard. She was about to leave, when she suddenly remembered…something she wanted to pass on to him. Whatever it was, Miranda quickly forgot when she noticed what Saren was up to as she turned her back. She cautiously approached the Spectre, which caught his attention.

"What now?" Saren sighed.

"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Miranda offered.

A surprised look spread across his face, followed by a sly grin.

"I would actually like that," Saren nodded.

Without saying anything further, Saren stood to his feet. That was enough for Miranda to recall that turians have days when they would have the urge to breed, almost like how some animals on Earth would have a breeding season. She quickly began to strip down and leaned over the desk with her posterior facing the Spectre. Saren reached his arms around her and located her folds with one talon, gently brushing it against her vulva. As much as he appreciated her offer, he wanted to ensure she was also ready for him. He dug a talon in as a means of teasing her, testing the waters a bit. Letting out a gasp, Miranda ground against his talon as he thrust it in and out of her folds. He hadn't been prodding inside her for a full minute, and by the time he withdrew his talon, his talon was coated in a clear, slick fluid.

"Hmmm, you seem ready. Are you really?" he inquired, brushing his tip against her.

"Yes, let's do this," Miranda pleaded softly.

It was like applying morphine to a shotgun blast, feeling the initial wave of pleasure pour over him upon entering her. Miranda let out a sharp gasp as his length's ridges and spines rubbed along her walls. Saren held her close once he fully sheathed himself inside her. He started slow, feeling her smooth, slick walls wrap around him. Miranda planted her hands on the desk to support their weight, allowing the turian Spectre to knead her supple breasts with his hands. Putting his mouth against her neck to lick her, she gradually encouraged him to start thrusting more aggressively. This was more apparent when Miranda arched her back. He failed to refuse the offer, gripping her more tightly as he began to push harder.

Miranda felt Saren pick up the pace, so she ground her hips against his between gasps. Meanwhile, he kept one of her breasts firmly in the palm of his hand, thumbing the nipple in circles. He nuzzled his face against hers before he started grazing his teeth along her skin. He lightly dragged them along, searching for a sufficient location to dig them in. Once he located her shoulder, he bit down hard which elicited a louder moan from his human partner. With his jaw locked in place, he kept pushing harder. As more fluids lubricated the friction, the pleasure brought both of them closer to their peak.

"S-Saren," Miranda panted, "I-I'm gonna…"

Miranda didn't finish her sentence as she screamed, her body shuddering in her orgasm and her walls tightening around Saren's cock. He released his bite as he came in turn, feeling their fluids ooze out of her. While they gasped for air, Saren purred as he nuzzled his face against hers and ran a talon through her hair.

"Thanks…I needed that…" he whispered.

The instant they came down from their high, Saren slowly withdrew from her, a few drops of semen trickling down her legs. The turian Spectre lifted Miranda into his arms before he carried her over to his bed. He had a bit of a hole in his schedule, and could afford to dwell further into the current matter. Miranda nestled into his embrace once he climbed into the bed with her. Saren put a hand around her back and the other around her hips as he held her close.

"Saren," Miranda whispered, "would you like to go another round?"

"Of course. It's been mating season, so I don't think I'm ready to stop after a single round," he hummed, wrapping the other hand around her ass.

Upon cue, Miranda cupped Saren's face and pulled him into a deep kiss. His length was still erect, so he simply invited himself back inside of her as their lips connected. She stifled her moan the instant she felt his erect length slide home and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He hastily returned to a moderate pace, letting out long moans of his own. Without stopping his rhythmic pace, Saren turned over until Miranda lay underneath him. Keeping her in his grasp, he continued his thrusting motion without pause. As her breath quickened, she brushed one hand along his back and massaged his waist with the other.

Reaching his limit, Saren poured every last ounce of energy he had into keeping his aggressive pace. Miranda also felt herself grow closer to her peak, so she emitted a biotic field which stimulated both of their sensitive nerves in a pleasurable manner. His muscles involuntarily locked up as he felt the combination of her vibrations and his orgasm. He also heard his human partner let out a loud cry while her walls spasmed around his cock, followed by the familiar sensation of her salty fluids leaking out.

With their second round spent, Saren gave Miranda a passionate kiss before he pulled out. He held her close against his warm body as he yanked the covers over them.

"You feeling better?" Miranda asked softly.

"Much better. Thank you," he purred.

Smiling, Miranda snuggled into Saren's embrace. Several minutes later, she felt the turian Spectre's semen coagulate inside her.

"Saren," Miranda whispered, "do you have any ideas for names?"

* * *

The months passed as the dust and ash from the Reaper War cleared. After Shepard's successful mission to activate the crucible, the Reapers were subsequently destroyed, leaving room to rebuild. Saren and Miranda declared their love for each other and were in the works of setting up their life on the Citadel as it was in the middle of being repaired. They were out at a nearby cafe enjoying the peace and engaging in conversation. Fortunately, Garrus remained by Shepard's side as she recovered in the hospital. Saren took a moment to read Vakarian's message in his omni-tool.

"She should be out in another week," Saren added.

"Good to hear," Miranda agreed.

"In the meantime, how's the child coming along?" he asked, gesturing to Miranda's stomach.

Miranda took a moment to brush her hand along her growing waistline.

"He's a real kicker," Miranda informed, "at least the music calms him at night."

Nodding in agreement, Saren pressed his forehead against hers.

"It still feels strange, knowing you're bearing my child," he chuckled.

Miranda took Saren's hand into her own.

"If he is a troublemaker," Miranda mused, "chances are he got it from you."

Saren kissed Miranda's forehead before she released his hand. Saren paid the bill before the two headed back to their new apartment. It wasn't much, but their apartment saw plenty of improvement since the end of the Reaper War. They didn't have much in the way of furniture besides a dining table with chairs, a couch and coffee table in the living room, their bed, and a crib for their expected child.

Well, crib was a bit of an understatement as this crib in question was in the shape of a bird's nest. Saren walked up behind her, holding her in his embrace.

"Tell me how you feel," Saren purred as he nuzzled his face against Miranda's.

"I definitely love how this is turning out, and I wouldn't have had it any other way."

She cupped his mandible and met his lips for a prolonged kiss. After they broke off the kiss, Saren and Miranda made their way to the couch.

* * *

One month later, Shepard and Garrus escorted Miranda to the hospital the instant she went into labor. Garrus sent a message to Saren, motivating him to make a beeline for the hospital as fast as he could. Upon the Spectre's arrival, he met up with Shepard and Garrus at the door while Miranda sat upright in a nestlike bed.

"Ah! Spectre Arterius! Good to see you've arrived," a doctor greeted, "we've got things underway, but I figured you'd be helpful in this scenario. Try to keep her breathing and keep her focused."

Saren nodded before he stepped into the room and knelt by Miranda's side.

"You alright so far?" Saren asked, his voice filled with concern.

Miranda let out a pained groan.

"I've had injuries from being thrown around by biotics that were more painful than this," she answered.

His subvocals letting out a soft coo, Saren took Miranda's hand into his own.

"No doubt you know how to allow the pain to subside more gradually."

Between deep, sharp breaths, she gave him a weak smile.

"I-I'm still glad you made it…" she muttered.

She clenched her teeth as another wave of pain flared through her body. As she felt her cervix dilate a little more, Miranda straddled her legs a little farther. Saren clasped her hand tightly.

"Miranda, relax. Just look at me and focus," he begged.

"O-Ok," Miranda gasped softly.

Miranda kept her eyes focused on Saren as she shifted into a kneeling position with her legs straddled. The hour dragged on as Miranda continued pushing. Every step of the way, Saren knelt patiently by her side, holding her hand. In between contractions, Miranda took a moment to catch her breath. She painfully yelped as she gave one more push that was enough for the turian kit to emerge and plop onto the soft cushion. Initiating sanitization procedures, one of the doctors began wiping off the afterbirth on the child before wrapping a blanket around it.

"Congratulations, you two. The child is healthy," the doctor announced.

She had expended much of her strength during the last half-hour.

"Please, let me see," Miranda asked weakly.

The doctor carefully knelt down and placed the bundle into Miranda's arms. She focused carefully as the small turian kit let out soft peeps.

"You should get some rest. I'll be back with a meal," another doctor advised.

Once one of the doctors left the room, Miranda shifted her position until she reclined in the nestlike bed.

"Any input on what we should name him?" Saren asked.

"I've been thinking about that. I wanted to propose Abdul Arterius," she answered.

Saren's mandibles flexed into a soft smile.

"I like the sound of that," Saren nodded.

It was only a few moments later when the doctor invited Shepard and Garrus into the room.

"Jane, Garrus, good to see you're still here," Saren greeted, "Miranda finished almost an hour ago."

Both Shepard and Garrus took their turns to clasp their hands with Saren's.

"The same can be said for you, Saren," Jane replied.

Garrus was already breathless at the sight of Abdul.

"Wow…he's…"

"He was quite the effort," Miranda chuckled.

Jane let out a happy sigh.

"Was he really a pain in the ass to conceive?" she remarked.

Miranda shrugged.

"If you'd like any advice on how to deal with a cross-species pregnancy," Miranda offered, "let me know."

Jane sat down near Saren and Miranda.

"I'd be grateful. I'm already over a month in," Jane replied.

"We came directly here from getting scans," Garrus added.

Saren let out an enthusiastic hum.

"Well, you might want to take a seat as well, Garrus. It'll be a long conversation."

Upon cue, Garrus sat down next to Jane. Garrus calmly put a hand on her stomach and tapped his forehead against hers.

"See?" Garrus purred, "this'll come out alright."

Jane gave Garrus a soft smile as she closed her eyes.

"Now, the most important part is the inclusion of dextro-based foods in your diet, considering the biology of the child," Saren started, "there's a healthy mix somewhere around having half-levo and half-dextro that you'll have to keep your mind on. That's generally the basics of it anyways. Dr. Maelon has began working at this hospital and has been very helpful guiding us through this."

From there, Miranda, Saren, Jane and Garrus continued their banter about their interspecies liaison. This carried them through the crisis the Reapers started, and they're sure they would see better days from this point forward.


	8. Substitute Spectre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting injured in the line of duty, Saren asks Miranda to complete one of his assignments while he takes his time to rest.

Miranda could remember anxiety surging through her spine when she received a message from the Huerta Hospital.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she sprinted through the Presidium. Quickly checking in with the receptionist, she was told to take a seat. Minutes passed quietly as the tension grew thicker and thicker. Saren managed to claw his way back, but not after taking a bad hit. All she could hope for right now was to ensure Saren was still alive. She was on the brink of losing track of time when a nurse emerged from the door and stepped into the lobby.

"…you're looking at somewhere between two to three weeks."

Saren cautiously limped out behind her.

"Doctor, you know that's not an option for me," Saren protested.

"Neither is foolishly ignoring your injury. Contact me once you're fully healed."

The doctor left the room, leaving Saren with Miranda. While he grumbled in disbelief, Miranda took a few steps closer to him.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

Saren pulled up his shirt to reveal a large, sealed gash on his abdomen, cutting clean through his plates.

"It was bad. I'm patched for now, but I'll need time to fully heal, and longer for the plates to mend. It'll take me a few weeks at most, but my lead is quickly going cold."

Her eyes giving a soft expression, Miranda placed her arm around Saren's shoulders.

"So now what?" Miranda asked.

"I hate to say this," Saren admitted, "but I won't be able to continue my assignments for two to three weeks."

Saren and Miranda stepped out of the hospital and ventured through the Presidium.

"Standard procedure is to hand the assignment off to another Spectre if I'm injured in the field," Saren continued.

"And how does that make you feel?" Miranda pondered.

He sighed.

"I could use some time off, admittedly," Saren answered.

It didn't take much longer before Saren and Miranda reached their apartment.

"So will you need anything for the injury?"

"The doctor just said nothing too vigorous, like wielding a firearm or CQC," Saren explained, "I can still run and such, but too hard a fall will cause the wound to reopen."

Once they reached the living room, Saren sat down in a lounge chair while Miranda took her time to review Saren's current assignment.

He'd been not too deep onto Terminus space on a junkyard of a planet. The mission had otherwise gone fine until he encountered an enormous krogan unlike anything he'd seen before. Handling the beast wasn't too difficult, but not before the thing nearly gutted him. After desperately slathering on some medi-gel, he desperately stumbled back to his ship over the next couple of hours. He had found some intel, but the target got away by the time he finished off the krogan. On his way back to the Citadel, he wavered in and out of consciousness as he tried to simply prevent bleedout with the supplies he had brought along. Miranda sighed as she put down the datapad before she cupped his mandible with her hand.

"I'm glad you're safe. I had received a message earlier about your return and severe injury."

"Thank you, Lawson," Saren gave her a soft smile.

Miranda softly kissed his mouth plates before getting up and heading to the kitchen to fetch some tea. In a matter of minutes, she finished brewing the tea and poured it into a cup before she brought it into the living room. Saren gladly accepted the cup and took his first sip as she sat down besides him.

"Lawson," Saren said, "you don't mind if I ask you a favor, do you?"

"What would that be?" she replied before lifting her cup to her lips.

"Would you be willing to finish what I started?" Saren requested.

"The mission, you mean?" Miranda paused.

Miranda had been itching to get into some action recently and had openly acknowledged such to the Spectre. Seconds later, Saren nodded.

"Gladly," Miranda replied, "I'd best get suited up then. I assume you'll be quickly compiling everything you had to hand off before I leave?"

Saren turned on his omni-tool and sent the details of his mission and his progress to Miranda's inbox. Not fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of their bedroom in her skin-tight white suit. By then, Saren already finished his tea and was reading a holobook. He paused for a moment and shifted his gaze towards his human partner.

"Here you are. I've also granted you temporary access to my shuttle and assigned dock for the next month," he added.

"I won't let you down, Saren," Miranda reassured him.

Saren leaned in close to kiss her.

"Stay safe, darling," he added.

Having gathered her weapons and the info she'll need, Miranda stepped out of the apartment. She was familiar enough with where the Spectre docks were and made her way straight there. Feeling the ship hum as she ignited the engines, she steered the shuttle out of the docks and away from the station. Once the shuttle flew as far from the Citadel as possible, she set a course for the Mass Relay. She tapped a few keys and set her ship for Illium. It was where the trail of crumbs led to last. If she was lucky, her target was still there. It didn't take long for the Mass Relay to fling the shuttle into its warp speed.

It was certainly better than something like Omega, but there was still something about Illium that would make any sensible person's skin crawl. The sensation that millions of eyes watched you from behind security cameras and two-way mirrors that bothered her the most. Miranda reminded herself to remain vigilant during the mission just as the shuttle emerged from another Mass Relay. It was at least nice Saren had a docking area reserved due to his position as a Spectre.

Once she landed on the planet surface, she didn't waste time disappearing into the crowds and getting to work. While meandering through the streets of Illium, Miranda kept a vigilant eye out for her target. After Saren's last attempt on her, she was still trying to find a place to settle and lie low for a bit until the Spectre lost the scent. Miranda, on the other hand, wasn't willing to give up on her that easily as she searched for clues on her whereabouts. She had an address of a few of her accomplices in the city, so all she needed was to find one, then tug on their links to the others, and finally triangulate on the target's hideout. It took a while before she arrived at the first address. It was a small hardware shop composing of a varied list of products from desktops to RAM cards. At the front counter was a salarian working away behind the counter.

"Hello! Welcome to my shop! How can I help you?"

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you," Miranda replied.

"What might that be?" the salarian quipped.

"I heard you carried some special materials," Miranda clarified, "the type you share with your more consistent customers. I know this is my first time, but I was also out of luck approaching the other local vendors. Care to show me them?"

The salarian blinked in a moment of silence.

"Well, I do have some rare parts in back, but…if you have the creds, follow me."

Oblivious to what Miranda had in mind, the salarian escorted her through the door behind the counter. She still kept a suspicious eye even when he prepared to swing his arm. Narrowly dodging a stun baton, she batted the weapon out of his hand and pinned him against the wall.

"Nice try. In the meantime, I've got a few more questions beyond your goods."

"W-What?!" the salarian exclaimed.

"Don't act surprised," Miranda spat, "I've listened to a few conversations enough times to recognize your voice. Now cut the bullshit and talk."

To further emphasize her point, Miranda aimed her pistol at the salarian's head.

"O-okay…I'll talk…who're you looking for?" the shop keeper stuttered.

"Dahlia Dantius. Where is she going?" she growled.

The salarian let out a nervous gulp.

"Currently, her sister has provided her shelter in her unfinished tower," he stuttered, "east side of the city. You can't miss it."

Miranda nodded at the salarian.

"I'm convinced, but why don't you show me to your personal desktop in the corner?" she insisted, "and keep your hands where I can see them."

"F-Fine," the salarian squeaked.

Still at gunpoint, he hastily logged in and showed her everything else she demanded.

"S-See? It's all ri-"

She clocked the pistol grip hard against his temple, knocking him out cold before hastily leaving. Now that she had the information she needed, she knew she'll have to move quickly. Nassana Dantius was quite a narcissistic individual, and wasn't afraid to flaunt her wealth and influence. Among the more infamous structures on Illium was the Dantius towers, one of which was still under construction. Having confirmed the location, Miranda moved into the unfinished building. For now, Dahlia was camped out with her ever smaller team of pirates near the middle levels of the tower.

Miranda wasted no time as she sprinted through the corridors and up the stairs, considering the elevators weren't working yet. Most of the workers were still at their jobs, keeping up construction without a fault, barely noticing her sprint by. It may have been a while, but she soon reached the middle levels and started peering through opened doors. She narrowly kept herself from barreling around the next corner when she just briefly glimpsed at the group nearby. They were all out in the open with mostly close range weaponry. There were about eleven total and they still hadn't taken notice of her presence yet.

"So what now, boss?"

"I already told you. This is only temporary. We've still got everything important with us and my sister reported him returning to the Citadel to recover after he took down Karv. With any luck, by the time he comes here, we'll have already set base somewhere else," an asari at the center of the room answered, tone flaring with irritation.

Miranda huffed softly as she readied her pistol. The building was still under construction, so a few shots to some of the beams above would probably help to temporarily incapacitate some of her guards, and the long open stretches of space gave ample opportunities to allow gravity to dispose of the opposition instead. With a plan in mind, she aimed the pistol at one beam and squeezed the trigger. The odds were merciful enough to the pirates underneath by crushing their heads swiftly like watermelons. Using her biotics, she yanked another couple off the railing-less edge of the platform, sending them screaming below. Dahlia may not have been hit, yet the ordeal immediately caught her attention.

She was already four down and off her guard. She had learned the hard way that any number of soldiers below double digits was rarely enough for her field of work. Dahlia began scanning her surroundings when Miranda emerged from her cover. Another few shots popped off, killing two more with headshots before everyone could reach cover. Dahlia refused to go down without a fight, so she began emitting her biotic field. Creating a barrier to shield her remaining four guards, she gestured to one to move up while she provided cover. From her set of cover, Miranda tossed a cooked grenade at the floor in front of the advancing guard. While he hadn't been affected by the explosion, the force was strong enough to weaken the floor and send him sliding off. On the way down a few levels, his head made a distinct ping as it hit a support beam, causing his body to cartwheel out of sight.

Two more guards began advancing while the last one stood behind to cover for Dahlia. By the time the two forward troops dropped a smoke on Miranda's position and advanced, it was too late for her to notice her assailant opted to flank her position when her rear guard's head exploded. She was so busy returning fire she also failed to notice the flashbang that had landed at her feet. The confused asari pirate made a brief glance at Miranda as she gave a fierce stare. In the bright flash of light, she attempted to return fire, throwing balls of biotic energy in one last ditch attempt to ward Miranda off. By the time the flashbang's effects wore off, she turned to see her last two guards dead, and Miranda closing in with a clenched fist before everything went black.

Once Dahlia was downed, Miranda got to work putting holocuffs around her wrists and a biotic suppression collar around her neck. She then dragged the asari pirate out of the damaged room and through the corridor, making her way down the stairs. Hastily rushing back outside, she returned to the skycar she had allegedly 'borrowed' from the shop keeper she encountered earlier and threw her into the back. Hopping into the front, she drove off back to the port, while occasionally looking back to ensure Dahlia wasn't coming to. Once she reached the docks, Miranda dragged the unconscious asari aboard the shuttle. Plopping her into a small custom containment cell, she slammed the door shut and returned to the cockpit.

As quickly as she arrived, she departed without another word or another glance behind her, certain that simply looking back long enough will slow her down if she discovers she needs to start making a run for it. Exiting the relay back into Citadel space, she sent a request to C-Sec to meet her at the docks before she set the vessel onto autopilot and got up to check on her prisoner. By now, the asari pirate just came to while she still had her restraints on.

"Who…the fuck…are you…!?" she spat through heavy pants.

Miranda knelt to the floor.

"Miranda Lawson," she answered simply, "I believe you are familiar with an associate of mine named Saren Arterius?"

Dahlia glared at Miranda.

"Yeah, might've heard about you once or twice. Why the hell are you so interested?"

Miranda folded her arms.

"Let's just say I'm doing the Spectre a favor," she remarked.

She stood up with a smirk and walked off, listening to the string of expletives spewing from the pirate behind her. For now, Miranda focused on making it back to the Citadel. When she finally docked, she found a squad of C-Sec waiting just outside. Dragging her prisoner with her, she handed off the asari pirate. Before he left, Chellick offered his hand, encouraging Miranda to shake it.

"Thanks for your help. I assume you're the one Arterius mentioned he'd sent out in his place?" the turian officer acknowledged.

"That's right," Miranda nodded.

"Yeah. It's a good thing you caught her while she was still on the move. We can take her from here."

She watched as two officers put her into a skycar and flew off with two other C-Sec vehicles close behind. With her mission accomplished, Miranda ventured out of the docks and made her way to the Presidium. It had only been just short of five hours, but she was already quite exhausted as she stumbled back into the apartment block. Once she made it inside the apartment, Miranda set down her equipment and collapsed onto the couch. She hadn't bothered to strip off her suit yet as she lay there for a bit. Still, Saren paused what he was doing and made his way to the living room to greet her.

"Back so soon?" he let out a small chuckle.

Miranda lifted her head and focused her eyes on Saren's.

"I got her," Miranda answered.

"That's good. I knew you'd get the job done," Saren hummed.

Saren sat down on the couch and lifted Miranda into his embrace. She did the same, wrapping her arms around him. The turian Spectre purred as he nuzzled his face against Miranda's.

"Hey, I still need to wash off. I'll be with you right after, alright?" she requested.

Miranda stood up from the couch and walked to the bathroom, stripping off her suit on the way over. She stepped into the shower stall and turned on the faucet, standing under the warm shower spray. Miranda let out a prolonged sigh as the streams of hot water raced down from her head across her skin. She proceeded to scrub the grime off her skin using soap. With another hand, she spread a small bead of conditioner through her hair. By the time she finished washing herself off, she turned off the shower and grabbed a towel to dry herself up.

Wearing little else beside her undergarments, she brought her suit back to the closet in their bedroom. Miranda then slipped into a casual outfit before she returned to the living room and sat down next to Saren.

"So what did I miss while I was away?" Miranda asked.

"Nothing much," Saren answered.

Saren placed his arm over Miranda's shoulders.

"Well, you didn't miss much either. It was a rather short mission, nothing too vigorous," she added.

Miranda leaned into Saren's embrace. She kissed him on the side of his mandible, taking her time before parting. Since they have some time off, they took this opportunity to relax for the rest of the day.


	9. Brother's Spat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Desolas comes over for a visit, he gets defensive the instant he learns his younger brother is dating a human, let alone a former Cerberus operative. Miranda’s in for a tough ride if she’s going to contend with a dense older brother in order to stay committed to Saren.

Despite all the preparations they made before they waited at the docks, Miranda noticed Saren fidgeted in such a nervous manner. His brother had announced his arrival days earlier, but Saren struggled to find the strength to meet up with him. While the Relay 314 Incident had been a scar on recent memory, most turians and humans had finally began to move away from the war as was evident between himself and Miranda. His brother, Desolas on the other hand had not. In an attempt to reassure him, Miranda took Saren's hand into her own.

"We'll handle him together, alright? This'll be okay," she told him.

Those words were enough for Saren to relax a little. They watched as the massive transport of people straight from Palaven came into dock and the magnetic clamps held the vessel in place. Moments later, the transport opened its ramp and turians began emerging from the ship. It wasn't about ten minutes later when he recognized his older brother coming across the docking bridge. Saren kept his back straight as he approached the turian general. Desolas simply stared back as he approached.

"Saren…good to see you again…" he greeted in a rather insincere tone.

"Same here, brother," Saren replied calmly.

Desolas craned his head towards Miranda, rather menacingly.

"Isn't that woman working for Cerberus?" Desolas pointed out.

Miranda stiffened as she clenched her fists.

"I resigned from it a while ago," Miranda objected.

"Then what exactly is your business here?" he growled.

Desolas pushed past Miranda as he made his way out of the docks. Still, she and Saren followed him. The two gave each other slightly nervous glances as they kept up behind the general. They ventured through the Presidium before they arrived at their apartment. As Saren showed his brother through the door, Desolas took note of the pieces of evidence suggesting Miranda's residence.

"Tell me, _**why**_ does she live here?" Desolas demanded.

Saren gave his brother a piercing stare.

"Lawson and I are cohabiting as means of moving past our differences," Saren started to explain.

"So for whatever nonsensical moral reason, you decided to bond with one of them?" Desolas was less than pleased.

Saren lightly nodded.

"I know you'll probably never come to terms with the fact the war has been over for decades now, but I may as well state the facts, you ancient hunk of sedimentary rock."

Desolas huffed as he folded his arms.

"You haven't exactly convinced me why the opposite side of the argument is any more appealing, Saren," Desolas reminded him.

Miranda shook her head in disbelief. She wanted to step in, but was unsure how to without aggravating matters further. The least she could do was approach both of them.

"Ok, are you two done squabbling?" Miranda interrupted.

Saren and Desolas paused, giving her a sideways glance. After a long pause, the former was the first to speak.

"Look, I'm not looking for your approval; just like how I'm not looking to follow in your footsteps," Saren requested, "I don't care what you have to say about her, but I will let you know that I care for Miranda deeply. All I seek from you is that no harm from you comes upon her."

Desolas groaned in disappointment.

"If you don't mind whoring with _**her**_ , that's fine," Desolas hissed, "just know that you _**will**_ never live this down."

Desolas turned on his feet and stormed into the living room. Saren let out a sigh.

"Just let me talk with him for a bit," Saren advised, "maybe get some tea for us while you're at it."

Miranda gave Saren a kiss on his mandible.

"You got it," she nodded.

He casually sat down besides his brother in the living room. Miranda wasted no time as she made her way into the kitchen and began brewing the tea Saren requested. The two brothers quietly stared back at each other, visually daring the other to speak up first. Minutes later, Miranda stepped into the living room and handed the Arterius brothers their cups of tea before heading back into the kitchen to retrieve her own. As she disappeared back into the kitchen, Saren struggled to change the subject.

"So, how have you been doing?" Saren asked.

"You know how it is, never being able to stand still for more than a day. I was actually looking forward to this visit," Desolas grumbled.

Miranda returned to the living room with her cup of tea in her hand and sat down near Saren.

"I'm well aware of the prejudices you still hold, Desolas," Miranda asked, "but for your own sake, why don't you just simply ignore them for the time being?"

Desolas didn't bother to focus his eyes on Miranda.

"Did you not hold these 'prejudices' once upon a time?" Desolas retorted.

"Look around you. Times change. People change," Saren answered simply.

Desolas took a sip of his tea. Putting his cup down, he gave a passing glare to Miranda before looking back down at his cup.

"Do my ties with Cerberus bother you?" Miranda asked.

He simply remained silent as he continued to look at his cup, almost like he was still processing her question. Miranda took a sip of her tea while she waited for the turian general's answer. He would occasionally glance up, wondering how to defuse the tension that hung in the air. Saren and Miranda, on the other hand, weren't willing to put up his silent resistance to speak forever. Ultimately, his mind set on a question so banal it couldn't possibly irritate matters further.

"How did you two meet?" Desolas asked.

Saren flexed his mandibles upon hearing the question.

"Well, it initially started as a chance encounter during a recon mission," Saren began to explain, "needless to say, our first actions were less than friendly."

"And you didn't kill her?" Desolas remarked.

"Oh no, we did clash," Miranda corrected.

Desolas narrowed his eyes at Miranda.

"It was the two of us alone and we threw everything we had at the time at each other," she continued.

Saren sighed as he tilted his head upwards, reflecting on the first day he met the former Cerberus operative. It was some batarian colony with a small population and a relatively diverse species deviation in terms of slaves. Cerberus had tested another one of their pet projects when Saren investigated. Miranda was recording the aftermath alone, and had no other assistance against the Spectre. This was puzzling considering neither of them expected one another during that time. The fighting went back and forth for a couple of hours. Neither one had the advantage as they squeezed another few rounds at each other. It ended when they both were at their breaking point and they resorted to coming to a temporary truce. The two simply withdrew from their encounter without bothering to pursue the other. For the next few months, they'd been at each other's throats as they continued to encounter the other on a frequent basis.

With that memory in mind, Saren felt the motivation to speak up.

"It started off as a love-hate relationship, as we both cherished the next time we would encounter each other," Saren continued, "finally, by chance, we met at a bar in the wards, both in our civies."

Desolas shifted his gaze between Miranda and Saren.

"So there has been some time for this relationship to gain momentum?" Desolas clarified.

Miranda nodded before she lowered the collar of her shirt until it revealed Saren's bitemark. There was another silent pause before Desolas continued.

"Well, while I don't approve and don't believe I ever will," Desolas said, "I can at least respect the fact this is a relationship that has been in the making, Saren."

"I admit," Miranda replied, "if it weren't for Saren, I never would've started questioning the Illusive Man."

"I dug further and further into Cerberus and her former superior had increasingly sent her around to counter my movements," Saren added, "she became increasingly uncomfortable with what the Illusive Man wanted her to cover up."

Miranda took a moment to pull her collar back up. Desolas returned with an expression of consideration.

"It seems that the Illusive Man does not like both of you," Miranda said.

"We've had encounters with his organization during its younger stages," Desolas mentioned.

By now, Saren finished his cup and set it down on the coffee table.

"Have I at least now changed your opinion regarding our relationship?" Saren asked.

Desolas scratched at his mandible.

"Well…I suppose it's your decision, and not mine…" he sighed with defeat.

Desolas stood from his seat and stepped towards one of the shelves. He noticed the title and needed a closer look. It was a historical text compiling human culture.

"Saren," Desolas called out as he pulled out the holobook, "have you read this?"

"Of course," Saren answered, "I bought it when our relationship began to gain traction after our encounter at the bar."

Desolas returned to seat and cracked the holobook open.

"I assume you enjoyed it?" Desolas said.

Miranda gave Desolas a confused stare.

"It's rather fascinating, their history. If you were to look closely enough, you'd probably begin to notice that we aren't too _**different**_ ," Saren acknowledged.

Desolas let out an enthusiastic hum as he continued to read.

"I'm sure of it. I just might read up out of pure curiosity," Desolas tucked the book away in a pocket inside of his coat.

Miranda finished her tea and set off to carry the empty cups to the kitchen counter before she returned to the living room.

"We were planning on attending a symphony on the Presidium later this evening," Miranda mentioned, "care to join us?"

Desolas raised a browplate.

"I hadn't arranged anything myself," Desolas answered, "so I think I'll take up on the invitation then."

Smiling, Saren stood from his seat, encouraging Desolas to follow suit.

* * *

Later that evening, the three walked to a small courtyard along the waters of the Presidium where dozens of other people had already gathered. Desolas avoided conversation with Miranda from the afternoon onward, though it was unclear whether it was out of self-esteem or shame. Still, after paying for the admission, the trio entered the courtyard and searched for seats. They later found a cluster of three slightly closer towards the back, with Saren sitting between his brother and his mate as a buffer. While Miranda and Saren held hands, Desolas didn't bother to touch either of them. The rough morning had passed to give way to a quiet, calm evening.

Miranda, Saren and Desolas waited while other guests scrambled to find their seats. The performers of various species slowly got on stage, adjusting their instruments as the audience continued to find their seats. Soon, the time grew closer to the schedule from when the performance was supposed to start. The songs they performed were ancient pieces from various species. While various guests including Saren and Miranda enjoyed the music right away, Desolas took a moment to figure out the last time he felt tranquil.

The evening gave way to the sleepy darkness of night. As the three walked back to Saren's apartment, Desolas cleared his throat.

"I should probably apologize for my behavior earlier," he said, "I do very much appreciate your hospitality."

"Apology accepted, Desolas," Saren nodded.

Desolas opened up his omni-tool.

"I'll see you in the morning," Desolas continued, "I've set reservations for myself tonight elsewhere. I didn't want to intrude on your homestead."

Desolas extended his hand towards Saren. The younger Arterius brother accepted the gesture, shook his hand, and led Miranda inside as his brother departed.

"That wasn't bad for a first meeting," Miranda commented.

"I wish it went better," he replied, sighing.

Miranda nodded in agreement.

"Never mind what his opinion is, right?" she quipped, "that doesn't change anything, at least for me."

Once Miranda and Saren made their way into their bedroom, they slipped out of their evening wear in exchange for pajamas. He held her close in his arms as they slipped under the covers.

"I wouldn't have this any other way."

Miranda smiled before she kissed his forehead.

"At least he seems to be changing his opinion on the matter," Miranda agreed, "even if it's just him distancing himself."


	10. Planet of Spores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda and Saren made an error in their mission and resorted to find the pirate vessel on the surface of the planet after it crashed. Upon arrival, they inadvertently inhaled some of the spores released by the plants that started stirring perverted thoughts in their search for the package. They’ll have to let out some stress relief before they could leave the planet safely.

Saren and Miranda raced back onto their shuttle, closing the docking hatch behind them. Mashing his fist against the control panel, he disconnected their ship from the pirate vessel they were supposed to raid as it began to slow down, reaching lower and lower into the outer atmosphere. Miranda sat down at the cockpit as she watched their target disappear into the clouds of the forest planet below. Their job was to get aboard and retrieve a package from the pirates, but weren't able to withdraw it in time before they drifted too low. Some part of them assumed they could still find the vessel on the surface. Saren sighed as he slumped into the seat besides her.

"Well, at least none of them are alive. It's just a matter of walking in and picking through the remains."

Miranda nodded in agreement before she began steering the shuttle below the atmosphere.

"Looks like the environment is relatively breathable," Miranda added, looking over the planetary scans.

This encouraged the Spectre and his human partner to lower the shuttle farther through the clouds. Worming their way through the turbulence, they pieced through the thick vapor into a beautiful surface of the planet below. In all directions, the jungle stretched on indefinitely with no sign of civilization in sight.

"There, towards the east," Saren gestured, looking at a distant trail of smoke.

Miranda took the hint and hovered the shuttle over the jungle as it barreled its way to the crash site. She found a small clearing in the trail the ship left as it finally impacted the ground. Drawing her pistol out, they entered the decontamination chamber once more and headed out onto the strange planet. The first thing she could physically notice was the peculiar smell that drifted in the air. It wasn't the smell of leaking fuel, smoke, or decay. It was hard to describe it based upon anything familiar. They knew they shouldn't be wasting time, so they continued venturing towards the downed vessel. Saren could smell the same musty smell hanging in the air around them, and decided to set his omni-tool to analyze the air contents while they continued their work.

It didn't take much long before Saren and Miranda finally reached the pirate ship in ruins. Prying the door open, she peered into the flickering lights when she noticed a hot sensation pooling in her stomach. It was barely noticeable at first, so she decided to ignore it. She led the turian Spectre inside the vessel and they began searching the corridor, navigating through the debris scattered all over the place. The two began to peer through the cargo hold, stepping over the numerous pirate bodies around them. Lifting a cabinet up, Saren looked at the fallen contents on the floor when he suddenly felt a tingle down his spine, followed by the all-too familiar sensation of his plates shifting. He took a deep breath to brush it out of his thoughts before he knelt down and picked up the package.

Pulling aside a crate, Miranda got onto her knees to peer into a dark corner when she suddenly felt a sharp tickle in her chest. Looking down she peered at her breasts with concern, feeling the sensation of chafing increase as she moved. Perhaps some dirt got in her suit? She made a mental note to brush the dirt out of her suit when they return to the shuttle, but she soon felt her heartbeat pick up its pace. Every square inch of her skin began to tickle on their way back, as did every movement she felt from her uniform. She staggered to her feet, only to notice her vision began to blur slightly, causing her to stumble around the cargo hold. Saren thought fast and caught her in his arms before she fell to the floor.

"Lawson, you alright?" by now, he himself was sweating profusely.

Nervously, he checked his omni-tool's readings. His eyes widened the instant he read the details of the air contents outside. The air displayed a great presence of spores that showed a high concentration in hormones that heightened nervous system sensitivity and increased…desire, needless to say. While holding onto the package with one hand and holding onto Miranda in his other arm, Saren staggered out of the cargo hold and through the corridor, making their way outside the vessel. He only made it a few paces outside when he started to feel his head spin. Only a dozen paces away from their ship, his stumbling increased to the point where he collapsed in the grass. Embarrassingly enough, Miranda also lay on top of him. Saren lazily lifted his arm to look at his omni-tool one more time. It seemed apparent that the native plants released these spores. Saren looked down at her as she lay helplessly heaving on his chest.

"You alright?"

"M-My insides," Miranda stammered, "t-they're burning…"

"H-hold on…the…the flora…it produces…"

He started undoing her uniform to check for any infections beginning to take form under her skin. Now, he really started feeling his plates shifting and his full length pressing against the inside of his armor hard.

"Saren?" Miranda muttered softly.

"The spores…they g-generate…desire…" the Spectre began to tear off his armor, segment by segment, feeling something crawling underneath.

Miranda gathered enough coherent thought to understand what Saren meant, so she slipped out of her uniform completely.

"Come on, big guy," Miranda beckoned, "don't hold back."

He no longer sought to restrain himself as he pulled her on top of him. Without a second thought, he shoved his length into her already sopping wet entrance. Gasping, Miranda perched her hands on his shoulders and intertwined her legs with his. Simultaneously, Saren took hold of one of her breasts, slowly thumbing it as he licked the side of her neck. She rolled her hips in a rhythmic pace while she nipped at his neck.

Quickly, she lost all control of where everything was in that instance, as every move felt like being struck by lightning. Coincidentally, Saren began rocking his hips into her. He continued his thrusting with relentless strength, not feeling the pain of exhaustion from putting such effort into each push or from the fight with the pirates earlier aboard the freighter. In between gasps, Miranda pressed her lips against Saren's. He accepted her gesture, allowing his tongue to slither inside, tangling with hers and feeling her hot heaves as they boiled up from her throat. Her stifled moans of carnal bliss synced with the ridges and spines brushing along her wall.

With each press, her walls felt like they were increasingly damp, encouraging him to thrust harder, earning a long, deep, throaty growl from him. They could hear their breath quicken as their bliss brought them closer to their peak. Saren was the first to reach his climax, but the burning desire that danced in his body did not yield, pressing him to keep thrusting. The semen added more lubrication which made his rhythmic pace more pleasurable. Miranda let out a long wail as she came, but like her partner, she wasn't satisfied just yet.

Miranda kneaded his neck with one hand. He responded by tapping his forehead against hers, his purrs growing louder and louder. All the while, Saren held her close as he kept grinding into her. He felt vulnerable out in the open like this, just lying on the grass as their fluids leaked onto the dirt underneath, but at the same time, he simply craved more of it. With no one around to distract them, his cock pressed further until it reached her cervix. Between moans, she attempted to mutter begs for a more vigorous approach. Keeping her legs wrapped around his and her arms firmly anchored to his back, she held herself close.

When Saren felt Miranda press her hips even closer to his girth, he took it as a cue before he picked up his pace. It was only a few minutes later when he reached his second climax, but it hadn't truly satisfied the burning desire that welled up in his stomach and lungs. He cursed inside his mind at the spores while he rested for a few moments before he returned to his pace again. As he shook violently within her grasp, he struggled to keep her legs in place as he drove against her walls. The task was becoming increasingly difficult as she felt another climax approaching. The turian Spectre gripped her shoulder with his jaws. The effects of spores made her feel the full blow of the pain clearly, but the bitter sharpness was completely washed away by the crash of pleasure mere seconds later. She keened as her orgasm encouraged her walls to tighten around his cock. Saren hoped if they were to wear themselves out, maybe in the moments after waking back up, they could make it back to the ship and recover from the spores' effects. They continued their pace until the next thing they knew, they saw stars in their eyes and they heard each other's loud cries as they shuddered in their orgasm. Finally, the two were too exhausted to continue their now partially satisfied desires. They remained in the grass, collapsed with exhaustion. As they gasped for air, Miranda nestled into Saren's embrace.

Saren helped her to her feet and fetched their suits from the ground nearby. They continued the rest of the stumble and slumped onto the benches as they walked into the decontamination chamber leading into their shuttle. Once they stepped inside, they sloppily carried themselves to the bedroom towards the back before falling onto the mattress.

"You wanna camp out here for the night?" Miranda whispered.

"It's not like anyone will be l-looking here…you alright?" Saren replied.

Miranda nodded.

The night passed them and the two gradually began to recover from the effects of the spores. Shortly thereafter, with the package safely in their possession, they left the planet surface made it back to the Mass Relay. After a good rest for the two of them, neither seemed to retain any residual side effects from exposure to the spores. After a few hours of flight, the shuttle finally arrived at the Citadel. The two left the dock in civies, and Saren had the package firmly under his arm.

"In hindsight, it wasn't that bad," he commented.

Miranda gave Saren a soft smile in response.

"At least no one else saw it," she added, "still, we should probably check in with the med bay, make sure there's no long-lasting damage."

Saren and Miranda made their way to the Spectre academy. They took a moment to deliver the package before they headed over to the medical bay. Roughly fifteen minutes passed as they checked in with the medical officer present. The asari walked back in, still looking over the datapad.

"What's the damage, doctor?" Miranda inquired.

The asari medic gestured both Saren and Miranda to settle onto the patient beds in the room.

"Well, aside from key hormone glands seeming overtaxed, nothing seems out of place," the asari medic answered.

Saren let out a sigh of relief upon hearing those words.

"Additionally, you two should forward the coordinates to us so we can designate that planet with a travel advisory," the asari medic added, "until we can better study the effects in a contained manner, we should keep this contained."

Upon cue, Miranda turned on her omni-tool and emailed the coordinates of the planet to the medic. Concluding their visit, the two took each other's hand and left the facility. Considering they overcame another obstacle in their service, they might as well take some rest until their next mission.


End file.
